I've watched many a blogger follow the TechMeme feed, commenting on new, popular, stories as they happen, hoping to get captured as part of the ensuing "Discussion". There's not much mystery to it, and if you watch TechMeme for any amount of time, you can see who does it, versus who is actually adding new material.I won't name names, as that's petty, but we have a good idea who they are, and so do they.
As I see this behavior, I have a natural tendency to actually avoid the more popular topics, so I'm not seen doing the same thing. In fact, had I not already talked ad nauseum about Google Reader and Apple TV, two of the most favored topics on this blog, I'd almost have skipped tonight's news on both. But, having written about both announcements, it's interesting to see that TechMeme's algorithm is keeping my comments out, and letting others in, while the New York Times' similar service, Blogrunner, found my post worth including.
Take a look at the below screen captures, taken around 11 p.m. Pacific tonight:
1. TechMeme's coverage of Google Reader's "Managing your shared items"
2. Blogrunner's coverage of Google Reader's "Managing your shared items"
In the first, I don't exist, whereas in the second, the post is prominent, though it will drop as new ones are added.
In June, we discussed, "What Should Drive TechMeme's Content?", as the powerful blog news aggregator is one of the very best of the Web, but often keeps people guessing and the non A-listers whining. Tonight's example, contrasting the two services, is quite interesting to see.