20 Essential Blog Directories To Submit Your Blog To

Let us take a look at 20 popular directories worthy of your consideration.

1. Best of the Web Blog Search Best of the Web’s Blog Directory is very selective and only lists aged and valuable blogs. A link from here is majestic and well deserved.

2. Bloggeries has the best categories and subcategories home page on the internet. The layout is clear and concise, and readers are able to find what they are looking for in a snap!

I am really liking what Rob is doing with Bloggeries and this is bound to be one of the premier Blog Directories on the web.

3. EatonWeb Blog Directory is a real jewel with many aged inbound links and a blog rating system. You may have to pay a fee for your blog to be reviewed, but like Yahoo, the review fee is well worth the few dollars.

4. OnToplist.com is a free human-edited blog directory where you submit the RSS feed of your blog. You can also set up your own micro-directory (blog ranking) and compile a list of your favorite blogs in one place. OnToplist is also a social network that allows you and other bloggers to get in touch and promote your blog by attracting more readers.

5. Blogged.com is an interesting mix of a blog directory and a Google News type site which fuels its news feed from the blogs listed on the site. Blogged.com is very impressive and is free to list your blog.

6. One of the most selective Blog Directories on the web (and Wordpress powered), Blog Search Engine is owned by Performancing’s parent company and serves search results powered by IceRocket.

7. Blog Catalog features a vast directory of categories, from academic to writing, while offering the ability to search by country, language, or user. It has a no frills design, but offers convenient member access through simple blog registration.

8. Globe of Blogs has too many features to list. In order to be listed on the site, the blog must not be commercial. The site may appear to be busy, but I like the features of being able to search by title, author, or subject. Narrowing the search becomes easier on this blog.

9. The ultimate directory of British blogs connotes all things British. It is not directed by location, but by the culture! It is asked that bloggers be genuinely “britished.” Being listed in this blog reaches readers all the way across the pond!

10. Blog Universe is the perfect place to promote your video or podcast themed blog. Its layout is easy to navigate. Although the content is limited, it is an all around good directory site worthy of submission.

11. Bigger Blogs is a relatively new blog directory with only a few blogs registered. The blog is intertwined with a business directory. The blog section is difficult to find, and it is located through a link on the right side of the business directory page. However, the benefit is that the earlier you are accepted on a blog directory, the more exposure your blog will obtain. In addition, a back link is indeed a back link, so this can help with your search engine placement.

12. Upon visiting Bloggernity, you find a crisp, clean, and easy to navigate site. Scrolling down, you find the new blogs. As there is little advertising on the home page, it is pleasant to the eye of the reader as well.

13. Bloggapedia has an interesting and eye catching homepage. Readers are easily connected to the top blogs and newest posts. Innovative categories and a colorful design make this blog directory a hit.

14. Spillbean is a well-designed blog directory site with categories such as health, society, internet, and personal. The site is aesthetically pleasing, but there are not many listings yet.

15. Blogging Fusion is a blog with over sixty categories. These categories include photo blogs and family focused blogs. Blogging Fusion has an good amount of blog listings within the directory, and it also has visitor stats available.

16. Blogflux is not only a tool for bloggers, but a directory that has the listings in alphabetic order. The blog listings are organized and clear. It is definitely an effective blog directory in which to be listed.

17. The blogs on the top listings of Bloglisting are fun, colourful, and catch the attention of the reader. Bloglisting displays the page ranking blogs, which is a helpful tool when determining with whom you want to exchange links.

18. Blogio may be a small blog directory with few listings, but it worthy of a submission. Despite its small size, there are quality blogs and a solid ability to search on this site.

19. Blog Explosion claims to be the largest blog promoter on the internet. They have a vast directory but do not seem to have direct links. However, the listing in the directory can still show up in SERP’s, so keep this in mind.

20. Super Blog Directory is a great site that offers tools to posters that others do not. You can see the latest submitted links and blogs on the site, which is a perk that draws traffic into the directory.

The above listings are a glimpse inside the large and vast world of blog directories and the valuable inbound links that your can build for your blog and your business.

What blog directories do you suggest? Leave a comment below :)

Facebook makes privacy changes

Facebook has announced it is to overhaul its privacy settings to make it clearer for users to know who has access to their personal data.

The news follows an investigation into the privacy policy of the social networking site by Canada's Privacy Commissioner.

The social networking site has agreed to make changes that it believes will provide its users with greater transparency and control over their personal information and how it is used.

"These changes mean that the privacy of 200 million Facebook users in Canada and around the world will be far better protected," said Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart in a press statement.

In July Stoddart issued an initial report on an investigation into Facebook that followed a complaint from a privacy advocacy group, the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa.

The main concerns highlighted by the report were the lack of clarity over privacy settings and how much personal information is shared with third-party developers of applications such as games and quizzes.

In response to the investigation Facebook has agreed to make "significant enhancements" over the next 12 months, WHO says. This would include clarifying its privacy policy so that users can clearly understand why personal information like date of birth is requested, the difference between deactivating and deleting an account, and how its advertising works.

Another key amendment is that Facebook will retrofit its application platform in order to prevent developers from accessing users' personal information -- unless users provide explicit consent.

"Application developers have had virtually unrestricted access to Facebook users' personal information. The changes Facebook plans to introduce will allow users to control the types of personal information that applications can access," Stoddart said in her statement.

Work on the planned changes will begin immediately, although Facebook has said some changes will take some time before they are visible. Updates to Facebook's privacy policy will require a notice and comment period for users.

It has also said the changes to how users share information with third-party applications will require time and resources, both for the updating and testing of the new Facebook application platform and for third-party application developers to reprogram and test their applications.

"We will be communicating regularly with developers about the changes and we're going to take our time to make sure the outcome is something users understand and that developers have ample time and notice to adapt," Ethan Beard, Director of Platform Product Marketing at Facebook, said in a statement.

Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Policy at Facebook, added in a prepared statement that the changes would "provide even greater transparency and control for Facebook users.

"We believe that these changes are not only great for our users and address all of the Commissioners' outstanding concerns, but they also set a new standard for the industry."

Bomb Injures Soldiers Near Philippine Airport

JOLO, Philippines — Suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants planted a bomb that exploded near an airport and an air force base Sunday in the southern Philippines, wounding two soldiers, officials said.

Abu Sayyaf extremists most likely planted the bomb that exploded late Sunday on a narrow road in Jolo township, wounding the two troops who were riding a scooter to a mosque, regional military chief Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said.

The soldiers were taken to a hospital for treatment to shrapnel wounds. There were no reports of damage to either the airport or the air force base on Jolo, a predominantly Muslim island where American troops have been deployed to provide training to local forces battling the militants.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has more than 300 fighters, is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations because bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings of hostages have rattled the southern Philippines for decades. The group is suspected of receiving funds and training from Al Qaeda.

It has been blamed for several bombings, including a motorcycle bomb blast that killed two people and wounded 31 last month on Jolo, about 590 miles (950 kilometers) south of Manila.