For most of this past year, the Berkeley Blogosphere had been spiraling into the abyss. The number of blogs continued to dwindle; longtime Berkeley Blog fixtures closed up shop. Dark days indeed for those looking for campus and political commentary…

Then something happened. New blogs started sprouting right and left.

Alex Marlow has been pulling triple duty: writing for the Patriot, blogging on his own blog, and hosting his own podcast. He’s been doing a great job covering campus issues in an entertaining way. He’s a natural at this.

Nathan at the The Berkeley Experience started a few months ago and is already making an impression. He provides a fresh left-of-center voice that has been sorely missing from the Berkeley Blogworld. What I like most are his multimedia posts on campus events and figures. For example, here are some videos from the recent nude sweatshop protest, and here is his profile of campus funnyman Stoney Burke (plus some great footage). Also, here are some of his thoughtful posts on the nature of blogging and a slice of his life in the co-ops. Make it a point to read his blog.

The Middle East is one of the hottest subjects around, so it’s no surprise to see a few Berkeley blogs covering the region. Berkeley Forum shares with the world and Iranian-American perpsective on global news and domestic issues. They also occasionally cover the campus (such as the ASUC video I linked to previously) and present guest posts from professors. Another Berkeley Blog is Cal Divest, which focuses on trying to get the UC to divest from Israel. It’s a niche blog, but those interested in the topic from a student perspective should consider following it. Other issue-oriented Cal groups may want to follow suit and start a blog.

Last but not least is the UC Berkeley LiveJournal Community. They’ve been around for a while, but they have just recently been awarded the Best Blog in Berkeley by the Daily Cal. Some would argue that it’s not really a blog (which would mean the award would go to the runner up… namely us… next year then), but it’s the place to check if you want to know anything at all about campus.

Before I finish, let me give a shout out to some old favorites. I don’t know how he does it, but Beetle has been blogging for years and he still has funny and insightful things to say almost every day. Truly a Berkeley Blog icon. Then there’s CalStuff. It was a little slow-going earlier this year, but things are picking up again. Plus, the comment threads there are always priceless. I can’t imagine a Berkeley without CalStuff, so go blog for them!

Also, I’d just like to say that Chris, Mickey, and Ben are doing an awesome job blogging alongside of me. I can’t wait to see where this blog goes in the future.

So do yourself a favor and check out all of the blogs that I listed. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to start your own. If you don’t know how, I’m sure any of us would be happy to show you the ropes. I hope to see a bunch of new arrivals next year. Let me know if you start a Berkeley Blog or if you already have one that I’ve overlooked. Happy blogging. Back to work…