A google search for "silicon valley blog" at 1:54PM PST on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 generated the following top ten hits:

1) Good Morning Silicon Valley

Very techie-butch turquoise background for their masthead, with a rebellious little skull and crossbones flag sticking out of a cubicle as its graphic. A blog that seems to focus mainly on tech companies. Most recent post is about Steve Jobs’ ideas for doing away with Digital Rights Management. Post concludes with author’s somewhat pessimistic opinion of the possibility of Record companies actually taking Jobs’ suggestion. First impression: "I’m an independent thinker who’s interested in money and technology."

2) Silicon Valley Watcher

"Former FT reporter Tom Feremski and team on the business and culture of innovation" says their masthead, with a grayscale photo of a serious looking man (Tom Feremski, I guess) next to it. Third person tone of the tagline suggests more seriousness. Opening page itself is a blizzard of links. All teaser, and no continuous prose. Most recent "post" links to several posts on tech companies in China. Most recent post is about Google purchasing Xunlei.com and making a deal with a Chinese telecoms company. "Fact-y" tone, with little overt editorializing. First impression: "There is a lot of stuff to know about tech companies, and Tom Feremski and team are the ones who’ll help you know it."

3) VentureBlog

Very spare masthead. Just the site’s name in orange and gray, then the tagline "A Random Walk Down Sand Hill Road." Sans serif font makes an already clean design even cleaner. The whole page is clean clean clean. Lots of white space, no annoying banners. Mainly text. Light gray and blue are the only colors other than orange. From what I gather this is the companion blog to a podcast. Or maybe the podcast is the companion to the blog. Most recent post is a brief paragraph about their time at DEMO, a conference for startups. Also had an update about the podcast becoming available in MP3. First impression: "We’re your friendly neighborhood geeks, smart yet approachable."

4) Silicon Valley Sleuth

Masthead has transparency of a rippling U.S. flag. Font is too tall and graphic on the right makes it all very busy and cluttered. Oddly, the site’s layout is actually quite narrow, compared to other blogs, so things feel cramped. Plenty of banner ads all over the place. Posts on opening page are brief and news-y, but expand to (slightly) longer full posts. Most recent post is about how Windows OneCare and some other anti-virus programs failed to protect against known security threats. First impression: "Drop in and grab a quick piece of tech news to impress your friends at dinner."

5) Valleywag

Masthead has a red line, possibly representing a stock market trend, or maybe an ECG. In any case, there is some dramatic back-and-forthing, and then it flatlines across the page. Blogtitle is in blown up green Hercules-screen-esque font. Posts are short and gossipy, with that self-amused knowing tone that is cute when you’re in the loop, and confusing when you’re not. Most recent post is about an interview with Om Malik’s preferences in love. First impression: "We give a sassy take on a not-so-sassy part of the country. Hilarity ensues." 

6) Bayosphere/Backfence/Dan Gillmor’s Blog

Masthead is in transition. On the left, blue background and yellow title (BAYOSPHERE in all caps) with font that looks like a cross between a pharmaceutical drug and star trek (I actually find it quite appealing). On the right, green background and a cute two-speech-bubble graphic with new blog title, an all-lower-case "backfence" in white, in a font suggestive of playfulness (cute skinny serifs and the f drops below the rest of the letters). Blog is about local politics. Most recent post (other than the first one informing readers of a new RSS feed) is about why the authors decided to join backfence, which is a national group of local citizen media blogs. The post was from April of last year, by the way, so really Gillmor’s most recent post is up on backfence palo alto, which is a separate site that did not show up on Google’s top ten for my search. That post is about Windows Vista. First impression: "Local, organic media served with a side of seriousness."

7) Soccer Silicon Valley

It’s a blog about soccer in silicon valley. Site is minimalist, but not in a self-conscious way. Color scheme is extremely butch. Blue, black and dark greys. Some silver. Posts concern local soccer news, with certain events being followed closely post after post (a new stadium in San Jose, I gather?). No photos. Most recent post links to coverage of the local soccer team’s efforts to re-emerge. First impression: "We’re a soccer blog."

8) Eighth hit on google was some google-related blog linking to Valleywag.

9) Silicon Valley Media Law Blog

Masthead is beige and brown, with blue text and a photo of reassuringly-friendly-faced media lawyer and blog author Cathy Kirkman of Wilson Sonsini (a very prestigious firm in Palo Alto). Posts are long, with extensive description of developments in media law, and some concluding analysis. Most recent post is about a case where record labels sued XM Satellite Radio for copyright infringement. Comprehension of what is going on seems to me to require some knowledge of copyright statutory law. Not as commented upon as some law professor blogs I’ve seen, but perhaps practicing attorneys don’t hang out with each other online in the same way. First impression: "Informative. Clear. Media Law."

10) Tenth hit was a CNET page linking to Silicon Valley Watcher.

Because (8) and (10) weren’t blogs, I’ve decided to include two more blogs. Not that 10 wasn’t an arbitrarily decided upon number anyway, but here you go:

11) Louisgray.com: live: Silicon Valley Blog: Never Assume Rationality

Generous use of colons in blog title. I approve. Appears to be a combination of personal blog/news links/opinions. In other words, a classic blog that’s not trying to be anything else. Most recent post is about the availability of soft-core porn on Google and Youtube. First Impression: "Friendly neighborhood geek"

12) The Digerati Life

Another personal blog, with a personal finance focus. Cute abstract graphic as the logo. Lots of swirlyness. Further investigation revealed that author’s original blog title was curlytree, thus explaining the curly tree logo. Site has large fonts. Posts are teasers with a "behind the link" thing going on. Most recent post is about the merit of credit cards. First impression: "Here’s how I deal with money in the Valley."