We can all rattle off a few blogs that have claimed their space in the cybersphere as some of the most important indy blogs out there: there's HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, Glenn Greenwald on Salon, and, of course, I Can Has Cheezburger? Of course, none of those are LGBT-specific, so, since I make it my goal to be a broken record by covering LGBT-focused independent media, I've highlighted the Top 5 movers and shakers in the world of LGBT journalism in this slideshow. (See the full blog descriptions below the slideshow.)
- Pam's House Blend: (SITE) It's not easy establishing your website as one of the "go-to" sources for information and worthwhile commentary about issues related to all four letters of the LGBT acronym. Whereas many LGBT blogs focus primarily on gay men, Pam Spaulding's site, which was launched during the 2004 presidential election, gives equal page service to each of these sexual minorities. Her piece is impressive because of the sheer volume that she produces; with few other contributors and a full time job, Spaulding works hard at nights, on weekends and on lunch breaks to keep her readers as up-to-date as possible. That's what set her apart from the rest of the LGBT blogosphere and made hers one of only two gay blogs that were awarded credentials for the Democratic National Convention in 2008. She's got an incredibly devoted readership, who keep her in business; they clearly know how to locate her PayPal "Donate" button, which, in addition to some unobtrusive sidebar advertising, is her primary revenue stream.
- Towleroad: (SITE) Easily one of the most popular, trafficked gay sites, this six-year-old "site with homosexual tendencies" is headed almost exclusively by Andy Towle, a gay man who still owns the site. Towle stays away from much commentary, choosing instead to publish the news and link to other websites. His content's not exclusively gay; some of his posts are completely irrelevant to the LGBT cause (especially those in his "briefs" section), but those that are relevant are interesting and new. Towleroad is almost undeniably geared toward the wealthy, white gay men demographic (his coverage typically ignores trans people, as well as lesbians, and in 2008, 52% of the readers earned over $75,000 and 40% earned over $100,000), a fact that's earned him some criticism. The site is not incredibly politics-based, focusing instead on pop culture, media trends, technology and music. It relies on advertising and some donations for support.
- The Bilerico Project: (SITE) I've already published extensively about The Bilerico Project and its founder, Bil Browning, but in case you don't have time for 1,200 words...What began as a project based out of Indiana has exploded into a national group blog in the vein of The Huffington Post, with experts from every facet of the gay political spectrum contributing pieces about the LGBT cause. Subtitled "Daily experiments in LGBTQ," this site, which recently moved to be based out of Washington, D.C., is proving every day with its excellent, mainly-political, posts that, as managing editor Alex Blaze puts it, "Not everything Queer is marriage, martinis and Madonna." True to HuffPost's philosophy, writers are not compensated. The editorial board's salaries are earned through advertising, and Browning, who publishes the most on the site, is compensated through a grant from The Arcus Foundation.
- AMERICAblog Gay: (SITE) As a nearly-as-frequented sister site to the main, overall AMERICAblog, this gay blog, led by attorney and gay rights activist John Aravosis starting in 2004, does extensive political reporting and analysis on gay issues. Making terrific use of quoting and referencing other publications or issues of the day, this is LGBT Journalism at its smartest and finest. It's not as partisan as some other sites, including Bilerico or Joe.My.God., but it advocates where Aravosis feels appropriate. It is, after all, a gay blog, which, according to its mission on its Facebook page, is designed to "defend good, fight evil, and sometimes slap good around to stop it from doing evil." It's funded with help from readers; a "Please Support AMERICAblog" application, with options for one-time and recurring monthly donations, is featured on each page of the site.
- Joe.My.God: (SITE) It's crazy that this site, maintained exclusively by the New York-based Joe Jervis, has become so incredibly popular, with thousands and thousands of readers visiting every hour, while still being hosted on a blogspot.com free domain name. Supported by infrequent ads, Jervis' blog is one of the more personality-driven pieces in this slideshow. He's great at using Talking Points Memo methods to enhance his resource; in this Village Voice article, Jervis describes how he called on his readers to deduce that some "All Faggots Must Die" comments on his site were coming from the offices of Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia). Super interesting, original content.
(Note: The cover graphic has been manipulated from a photo that originally appeared HERE)
- Towleroad: (SITE) Easily one of the most popular, trafficked gay sites, this six-year-old "site with homosexual tendencies" is headed almost exclusively by Andy Towle, a gay man who still owns the site. Towle stays away from much commentary, choosing instead to publish the news and link to other websites. His content's not exclusively gay; some of his posts are completely irrelevant to the LGBT cause (especially those in his "briefs" section), but those that are relevant are interesting and new. Towleroad is almost undeniably geared toward the wealthy, white gay men demographic (his coverage typically ignores trans people, as well as lesbians, and in 2008, 52% of the readers earned over $75,000 and 40% earned over $100,000), a fact that's earned him some criticism. The site is not incredibly politics-based, focusing instead on pop culture, media trends, technology and music. It relies on advertising and some donations for support.
- The Bilerico Project: (SITE) I've already published extensively about The Bilerico Project and its founder, Bil Browning, but in case you don't have time for 1,200 words...What began as a project based out of Indiana has exploded into a national group blog in the vein of The Huffington Post, with experts from every facet of the gay political spectrum contributing pieces about the LGBT cause. Subtitled "Daily experiments in LGBTQ," this site, which recently moved to be based out of Washington, D.C., is proving every day with its excellent, mainly-political, posts that, as managing editor Alex Blaze puts it, "Not everything Queer is marriage, martinis and Madonna." True to HuffPost's philosophy, writers are not compensated. The editorial board's salaries are earned through advertising, and Browning, who publishes the most on the site, is compensated through a grant from The Arcus Foundation.
- AMERICAblog Gay: (SITE) As a nearly-as-frequented sister site to the main, overall AMERICAblog, this gay blog, led by attorney and gay rights activist John Aravosis starting in 2004, does extensive political reporting and analysis on gay issues. Making terrific use of quoting and referencing other publications or issues of the day, this is LGBT Journalism at its smartest and finest. It's not as partisan as some other sites, including Bilerico or Joe.My.God., but it advocates where Aravosis feels appropriate. It is, after all, a gay blog, which, according to its mission on its Facebook page, is designed to "defend good, fight evil, and sometimes slap good around to stop it from doing evil." It's funded with help from readers; a "Please Support AMERICAblog" application, with options for one-time and recurring monthly donations, is featured on each page of the site.
- Joe.My.God: (SITE) It's crazy that this site, maintained exclusively by the New York-based Joe Jervis, has become so incredibly popular, with thousands and thousands of readers visiting every hour, while still being hosted on a blogspot.com free domain name. Supported by infrequent ads, Jervis' blog is one of the more personality-driven pieces in this slideshow. He's great at using Talking Points Memo methods to enhance his resource; in this Village Voice article, Jervis describes how he called on his readers to deduce that some "All Faggots Must Die" comments on his site were coming from the offices of Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia). Super interesting, original content.
(Note: The cover graphic has been manipulated from a photo that originally appeared HERE)
