The Strata-Sphere marks its one month anniversary on June 18th, and it is interesting that there is a huge discussion going on about which blogging community is more dynamic and more successful. Patrick Ruffini has been debating Chris Bowers on this topic. Chris believes the fact there are a handful of super-blogs on the left headed by DailyKOS means they have the better formula. I tend to agree with Patrick:

Bowers trashes the conservative blogosphere as “aristocratic” and “anti-meritocratic.” But if anything, the tables are now turned. Ironically, it is the liberal blogosphere that has adopted the more corporate, top-down approach to blogging: to be heard, you must go to Kos, Atrios, and Josh Marshall. This has the effect of aggrandizing a few superstar bloggers at the top, but leaving smaller liberal blogs scrounging for the all-too-rare link from the top dogs.
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In terms of solid, valuable interaction, trackbacks are pure gold: they tell you that someone thought enough of your post not just to respond to it on a seldom-read comments page or diary, but to give it prime real estate in their personal space, all the while sending visitors your way.

Bowers disparages the proliferation of large numbers of mid-tier conservative blogs, but in what way is this unhealthy? In fact, most of the cooperative, traffic-sharing arrangements in the blogosphere have emerged on the right. These days, it’s hard to keep track of all the various carnivals and link-fests, from the Cotillion to Carnival of the Capitalists to Classiness All Around Us to Conservative Grapevine. These link-fests are vital to mid-range blogs getting noticed, and probably in keeping with its more selfish, celebrity-seeking nature, such link-fests are much less prevalent in the left-blogosphere. Also, contrast the top liberal and “conservative” blogs. Glenn Reynolds is much more generous in linking to other blogs than Markos.

I can testify that this is in fact very true. In our first month we had the pleasure and honor to join the Coalition of the Chillin’, with warm welcomes from a number of seasoned bloggers. The Coalition’s founder, Mark Coffey, has been incredibly supportive and helpful to us. Our posting on the Klein smear of the Clinton’s was well received by Ed Morrissey who linked us with a Hat Tip. The Powerline folks have been very easy to email with, and Glenn Reynolds gave us our first Insta-lanche with our Carnival of The Chillin’. Recently we were able to join the Raging Rinos managed by the Kommissar.

Patrick is spot on about the right side of the blogging community. They relish new blood, diversity of thought and expanding the community. My guess is KOS and the left is like the Chinese army – lots of infantry under a central command. Where the right side of the community is more like western alliances: competing, refining, evolving.

UPDATE:

Brainster has a good numerical analysis of the visits on the leading left and right blogs. But what is required is to sum up the ‘second’ tiered blogs. I would still guess there is at least parity since 100 blogs of 10,000 visits is equal to 1 blog of 1,000,000 visits.

UPDATE:

The Bernouli Effect has some comments on this issue, and kind words for the fledgling Strata-Sphere. Which makes my point I would say.