Blog maps: what a great idea, and probably the next big thing in the blogging universe. Of course, New York is leading the charge: nycbloggers.com is a gorgeously designed site with a great concept–using subway maps to drill down to local blogs while preserving their privacy.

But the content referenced by nycbloggers.com is what’s most compelling. I never partake in online chats because anonymous opinions tend to the utterly stupid. Blogs, meanwhile, are personal and have a reputation to defend, so there is room for intersecting interests. One obvious interest that strangers share is their neighborhood–but until now, there was no way of linking blogspace to meatspace. Blogmaps do precisely that. I look forward to scanning through all the East Village blogs, and then virtually foraying into Brooklyn along the N/R.

And when you’re done, here is a Belgian/Dutch blogmap to peruse.

[Tue, Jun 04 2002 – 23:33] liz (www) (email) Hi Stefan,

Thanks for the mention. I for one appreciate it and I’m glad to see that you’re putting the map to the use for which it was intended — finding other interesting blogs around you! Thanks again.

[Tue, Jun 11 2002 – 23:49] stefan (www) (email) hi stefan,

well, here is someone using this map. i’m from germany and i am doing my legal clerkship in nyc. i’m here for only two and a half month and as i don’t know too many people here, i was wondering, if you’d be interesseted in meeting. i know this sounds odd, and i hardly would like to meet anybody writing a comment like this to me. but this is just a try. if you don’t want to, that’s fine. if you want to, i’d be very pleased to meet you.

so, you’ve got my adress. if you want to, just send me an email. if not, i won’t bother you any more.