Need free blog traffic and links? Try the Z-List.

Mack Collier from A Viral Garden started ‘The Z List‘ in December 2006 as a response towards Technorati’s method of assigning authority based on the number links pointing to a blog. The Z list is a blog meme, which sees bloggers creating and sharing a list of many links to blogs in a single post.

Participants joining the Z list meme will have to copy and paste a list of blogs, while including any new blogs on the list that they feel should get the exposure they deserve.

I’ve only recently came across the Z list and thought it was pretty cool idea, not to mention an excellent way for any blog to gain large amounts of backlinks and traffic.

Why is it called the “The Z List”?

Collier named it the Z list as a contrast against “A list bloggers”, a term used to categorize a list of ‘elite’ or well-known bloggers with very popular blogs. The Z List emphasizes the sharing of blogs that are not widely read or known in the blogosphere.

I guess you could see it as a shout out for the underdogs and a call to experience blogs outside of any popularity or link-based ranking system.

What are the benefits of joining the Z List meme?

• You’ll help the blogs you like get some much needed exposure




• You’ll get to discover new blogs




• You’ll get a higher Technorati ranking. (Ironic but true)




• You’ll get new readers and potential RSS subscribers




• You’ll most likely increase your blog’s Google Page Rank




• You’ll get some incoming links and traffic




• You’ll get to meet and correspond with bloggers from all over the world

And the cool thing is that these benefits are not hypothetical. They are tangible and have been reported by the bloggers participating in the Z list. For reference, see the comments in this post.

Thoughts and Concerns about the Z List

I think the Z List brings about a huge downline of reciprocal link exchanges between participating blogs. There aren’t any moderators for the Z-list and so there is really no way to ensure that other Z-listers will link back to your blog or original post.

But judging from what I’ve read on several blogs, I believe that some of them will eventually send a link back in some way or other so you shouldn’t worry too much about it.

I do however, think that the main motivation you should have for this exercise is generosity. You’re trying to share the blogs you find interesting with other bloggers and you’re not primarily linking out to get links back, even though this will be a natural result of participating in the meme.

Note that by linking out, you’ll also alert other bloggers and their readers to your blog’s presence which will lead to more exposure for your blog and possibly, even more readers.

The Z list is initially an exercise to promote blogs outside of any veritable link-based ranking system and is a great way to gain exposure, traffic and readers for blogs that should be read but are not. The explosion in backlinks and increase in future Page Rank should be a side benefit and not the main focus.

Tweaking the Z-List

Collier suggested that as a ‘honor’ rule, bloggers should not include their own blogs on the list. This ensures that the list isn’t manipulated for self-promotion. As he didn’t suggest that bloggers should include a link back to the blog where they got the list in the first place, I’ve included this point in the following instructions.

It’s always polite to link back to the source and is also a good way to make sure that all Z-listers get mentioned on each blog that participates in the list.

Most of the blogs on the original list were marketing or business blogs, but there are some tech/culture and art blogs included too. The topics in most of the blogs were somewhat related to Dosh Dosh so I left the original Z-list links up.

There are some really good blogs out there so do check them out if you have the time. My additions to the list are blogs that I read regularly on my feed reader.

You could probably put up the entire list or just continue the meme by only including the new blogs that I’ve added below.

How can I participate in the Z List Meme?

Finally, the exact steps you need to follow in order to join the meme.

1. Create a new post on your blog.




2. Copy and Paste the entire list of blog links below




3. Add any blogs that you want to include near the top of the list. (This isn’t compulsory, so you can either add as many blogs as you want or none at all.)




4. Include the blog where you first got the list from, on the list in your post.




5. Do not include your own blog links on the list in your post.




6. Make sure that all links point to each blog’s homepage.




7. Publish the Post.

Do note that you can join the Z List meme even if your blog isn’t listed below. Just copy and paste any or both of the lists below, add Dosh Dosh and any other blogs you want to share on the list and publish it as a post in your blog.

Dosh Dosh’s Z-list blogs

My additions
A Viral Garden
Connected Internet
Blog-Op
Can I Make Big Money Online
Blogtrepreneur
Blogging to Fame
Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under
Kumiko’s Cash Quest
Calico Monkey
Internet Bazaar

The original List from A Viral Garden

Shotgun Marketing Blog
BrandSizzle
bizsolutionsplus
Customers Rock!
Being Peter Kim
Pow! Right Between The Eyes!
Billions With Zero Knowledge
Working at Home on the Internet
MapleLeaf 2.0
Two Hat Marketing
darrenbarefoot.com
The Emerging Brand
The Branding Blog
CrapHammer
Drew’s Marketing Minute
Golden Practices
Viaspire
Tell Ten Friends
Flooring the Consumer
Kinetic Ideas
Unconventional Thinking
Buzzoodle
NewsPaperGrl
The Copywriting Maven
Hee-Haw Marketing
Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn
Multi-Cult Classics
Logic + Emotion
Branding & Marketing
Popcorn n Roses
On Influence & Automation
Bullshitobserver
Servant of Chaos
converstations
eSoup
Presentation Zen
Dmitry Linkov
aialone
John Wagner
Nick Rice
CKs Blog
Design Sojourn
Frozen Puck
The Sartorialist
Small Surfaces
Africa Unchained
Perspective
gDiapers
Marketing Nirvana
Bob Sutton
¡Hola! Oi! Hi!
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!
Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together
Community Guy
Social Media on the fly

For your convenience, you might want to download the HTML Codes for all the blog links above.

More reading: All about the Z List - An Update!