As to Drudge, you're right, he's no blogger. But he is important to the Blogdom because he has a nose for news and once I have read the articles he has linked I have more tendency to read comments about those subjects on the blogs I read.

It is kinda funny to see something he posts early in the day wind-up as major discussion points on many different blogs, each giving air to their take on the issue. There are a few blogs that might have a problem finding content if Matt closed up shop.

No permalinks, no archives, no reverse chronological posting. It�s a website that makes no use of blogging technology.

Mostly because it hadn't been invented yet as of when he started it.

Still, it seems to be justified that he should get the credit for a lot of what evolved into what I will call the blogging movement.

I tend to agree with your assessment of Huffington's skills. And I also agree, as regards the results of those blogging skills being the sole voice being heard on that blog.

I think it should also be noted however, that being mentioned with some degree of regularity on a cable news channel didn't hurt her hit numbers either. What would happen, therefore, if somebody with a little more centrist or dare I say it, rightist bent came along and was promoted on, say, fox news, the way Huffington was elsewhere? Huffington, I suspect, would be an afterthought in that event, if anyone remembered her existance at all.

And this writeup leaning on the idea that she is a woman in a man's environment (blogging) is just so full of crap, I think I'll let the statement fall over on its own.