The United States? 2008 Presidential election doubtless plays a role in the matter, yet it cannot entirely account for the rising numbers of political blogs. Proof of the genre?s sustained growth can be found in the launching of a new dedicated channel on popular blog referencing site
BlogCatalog.
Announced today, the Political Channel aims to centralise and categorise online debate, and in so doing to make the internet-based dimension of the political process better organised, livelier and more efficient.
Amongst the features on display, exclusive political discussion groups can be feely created so that members themselves can define the political topics on which interact. Bloggers within the network can also edit the site?s political sub-category system. Blogcatalog?s opt-in only system and five step qualifying process ensure are certain degree of quality control.
Recent political posts are highlighted so as not to escape attention, and the site?s search engine enables users to discover relevant items of information disseminated throughout a variety of social media including twitter, digg and stumbleupon.
According to company chief executive officer Tony Berkman, the new channel should further enhance what he presents as BlogCatalog?s status as principal online venue for politically-minded citizens, asserting that ?With almost 5,000 political bloggers and 114,000 non-political bloggers already part of the BlogCatalog conversational ecosystem, BlogCatalog is the Internet?s leading destination for mainstream political bloggers to have their political voices heard, engage in the political debate, increase their blog?s exposure, and participate in lively discussion.?
Whether BlogCatalog will be to the 2008 Presidential election what MeetUp was to 2003?s is a question to which only social networkers themselves can decide.