This Was The Year That Was (Or Was It?)

The Blogometer looks at 2005 from the standpoint of Blogtopia:

If 2004 was the year that blogs broke into the mainstream, 2005 saw an acceleration of this trend — even without a presidential election to focus on. Unlike 12 months ago, the word “blog” itself is almost a household name. Those annoying wire stories that reiterate the fact that “blog is short for web-log” are definitely on the way out….

As a community, blog participation appears to be growing at an exponential pace. Professional ventures continue to join the trailblazing amateurs, and some of those amateurs — the elite bloggers you are most likely to see quoted in the Blogometer — are seeing their influence grow along with it.

Read the rest of the analysis, complete with specifics about blogs, issues and some bloggers.