PoliticoSphere map charts most influential policy blogs

I came across this map via The Map Scroll, a geography/cartography blog that never leaves me disappointed. The map charts over 600 of the most influential policy blogs and charts them from left to right across the political spectrum. You can click on the image below to go to the PoliticoSphere site and embark on a more interactive experience.

Each node represents a separate blog and is colored as follows (thanks again Map Scroll):

Green - Environment and Energy
Pink - Feminism
Brown - Defense
Orange - Education
Light blue – Health Policy
Peach - International Affairs
Gray - Law
Red - Conservative
Blue - Liberal
Yellow - Infopros (Huffington Post, TPM, and MSM news sites)

Interesting how all of the subject-specific blogs, aside from defense, seem to drift left. So often, the MSM seems to blame the lack of a larger conservative blogosphere on the fact that those on the right tend to be older and thereby less tech-savvy. I think this generalization is less of a reality than it is an excuse. You can see on this map that there is a seemingly malignant bulge of red nodes on the right side representing the conservative blogosphere. At first look, the blog nodes seem to be relatively proportional to their liberal/progressive counterparts. The subject-specific blogs drift disproportionately to the left, but at varying angles.

Conservatives have not been slow to the plate regarding blog development, they have just been slow to develop blogs on specific policy portfolios. This map in many ways is reflective of the current national political climate where those on the right seem less able to provide alternatives on specific policy issues (the environment, education, etc.) than their left leaning counterparts.