I find it weird that Technorati is not on top of search results in Google for the keywords “blog directories” or “blog directory“. I know that they’re not just a blog directory, but “blog directory” is still a big part of what the service is about. At least, that’s what it’s known for and the reason why they’re so popular. But in a way, this is totally appropriate. As a blog directory, like everyone knows, Technorati is not as good as it could be.

I’m still pretty much a n00b when it comes to promoting my blog and discovering other good blogs. Most of my blog discoveries come through serendipity - links in other blogs, constant great content from a site on Digg, and ad hoc links in Twitter or Friendfeed. In other words, when not looking to discover. That’s why it’s so disappointing that most blog directories, and not just Technorati, really sucks at this aspect.

It’s not that it’s difficult to browse and discover content, but to do so, you need to have a different mindset. You have to think like a blogger. That’s why it’s not surprising that mostly bloggers are the ones that really care about blog directories. I suspect that regular users don’t really care for authority rank or blog reactions.

I looked at sites like Blogged.com and Six Apart’s recent Blogs.com, and they show signs of promise and a good direction, but it’s still not a casual experience. What I mean by that is that they still haven’t reached that place of trusting that browsing ad hoc can lead to interesting discoveries.

Blog directories need to learn from sites like Digg. In order for them to really work, they need to look for a way to “pay” with social currency; something that provides some sort of validation to the user. In other words, a reason to favorite on Technorati or to review your site on Blogged. Blog directories need a Mr.Babyman.