What are your top 10 Tech/Software Blogs?

[nosh]

Martin from ghacks.net (which was awarded our best site of the month
<snip>

-mouser (October 12, 2007, 10:21 AM)

I hate to say this but I have been reading ghacks for a few days now and I've noticed that his content is far too often simply picked up from other popular blogs like Lifehacker, Digital Inspiration, Cybetnetnews. One of these blogs publishes a feed and *bam* there's ghacks a couple of hours down the line telling me the same thing in his own words. This is understandable coz let's face it - there is only so much original content. BUT, it really sucks and pisses me off to no end when a blogger as a matter of habit refuses to give the source credit or is just too lazy/careless to bother.

Let's all hope and prey (sic) that such bad practices are put to rest. Until then, a big thumbs down to ghacks from me.

From the last 24 hours (both Cybernetnews posts were published earlier than their ghacks counterparts, incidentally):
A Cybernetnews link (which gives winbeta.org due credit)
http://cybernetnews....ndows-7-screenshots/

Cybernetnews (Last.fm post, source specified)
http://cybernetnews....-for-free-at-lastfm/




Ghacks: "Dude, where's my source?"

What are your top 10 Tech/Software Blogs?


(Last.fm post)
What are your top 10 Tech/Software Blogs?

[mouser]

I think you may be being too hard on ghacks -- they have original content too and as you say, sometimes there is news that everyone carries.

I very much agree with your general comment that:

BUT, it really sucks and pisses me off to no end when a blogger as a matter of habit refuses to give the source credit or is just too lazy/careless to bother.

I 100% agree with you -- you MUST cite your sources.  And when you do, the source will usually be very happy that you posted about the issue.

My experience on those occasions where ghacks posts about items that we may have discovered first is that Martin always credits us as the source (though it is always on the second page that you have to click for); so the most i could complain about is that he might be nicer to put the credit on the front page with the item.  But again my experience is that Martin has always been very stand up about crediting us when appropriate.

[nosh]

To be fair, in his case I think it's more carelessness than anything else - I know for a fact that he forgets to posts links to the very software he writes about (not to be mixed up with crediting the source) sometimes - I had to give him  a heads-up once and he admitted he forgot. 

I admit, I got a bit carried away coz I know as a one-time casual blogger just how tedious it can get and for some people it's their bread and butter.

[nosh]

(Local date + time as shown in my feed reader) 

Digital Inspiration - Jan 25, 7:28 PM
Get A Read Receipt When Friends Open Your Email Message
http://www.labnol.or...-read-receipts/2150/

Ghacks - Jan 26, 12:01 AM (no credit given)
Find out if someone read your email
http://www.ghacks.ne...one-read-your-email/

[ghacks]

I happen to forget links sometimes, that is true. I add them then once someone mentions it or I discover it by accident.

Windows 7 article: Got tipped of by a reader with a direct link to the forum.
Last.fm: My feed reader has currently RSS feeds of about 500 sites and portals including blogs from many popular websites. Guess how I found out about it ?

Read Email: Spy Pig was first mentioned, IIRC, on Go2Web20.net and not on Digital Inspiration. Did Digital Inspiration mention their source ? No they did not. Did you post the same accusations there ? No you did not. I do not like linking to Go2Web20.net because if you open that website you see that there are no direct sites for each service that they write about, just a huge page with logos.

I'm not saying that I'm perfect and I tend to forgot links from time to time but I try my best to cite my sources. That's all I have to say about this. But continue if you like, would be a nice blog idea I guess

Mouser it does not really make a huge difference if I mention a source in the first part (that hits the frontpage) or at the end of the article because articles are mostly accessed directly anyway.

[nosh]

Hi Martin,

I'm glad you're taking a combative stance, it tells me I got your attention.
As a serious blogger I hope you take your responsibilities more seriously in the future. The "I forgot" excuse doesn't cut much ice beyond the fourth grade (IIRC, it seldom worked for me back then either! )

Good Luck,
Nosh.

[ghacks]

Nosh I have no problem with criticism that is justified and I prefer to be reminded (nicely, I have a weak heart) that I fucked up (e.g. forgot a link) than not reminded at all. I did not do anything wrong in the three cases that you mentioned though, but if I do in the future, you know where to find me.