BloggerMania I – names and #1 seeds announced – matches begin Jan. 1

To ring in the new year, I thought it would be a bit of fun to create BloggerMania I. The idea is to bring together 32 bloggers who work mostly in the Web 2.0 or new technology space and have them duke it out for the top position, The Champ of BloggerMania. I selected the challengers based on several characteristics.

Here is how it will work. On January 1, 2007, I will announce the full seedings and first round matchup results. From there, matches will take place on Monday and Thursday each week until we crown a winner in the main event. So far I have determined the number 1 seeds for each grouping. If you are one of the challengers, you should do everything you can to get your community behind you! Remember, your community’s support may help you win! I hope this is a lot of fun for everyone.

I have received a few questions about what the bloggers below need to do to win. The answer is nothing. I will create the results based on studying each blogger’s style, posts, etc. If you would like to link to BloggerMania I, that would be greatly appreciated. I have created the 4 groupings of 8 bloggers and here they are:

Blue Grouping

• Niall Kennedy (#1 seed)
• Om Malik
• Stephanie Quilao
• Chris Messina
• Ryan Carson
• Stowe Boyd
• Amber MacArthur
• Merlin Mann

Orange Grouping

• Steve Rubel (#1 seed)
• Matthew Ingram
• Tara Hunt
• Jeremiah Owyang
• Jason Calacanis
• Richard MacManus
• Nick Denton
• Seth Godin

Green Grouping

• Mike Arrington (#1 seed)
• Joanne Colan
• Darren Rowse
• Loren Feldman
• Robert Scoble
• Matt Cutts
• Amanda Congdon
• Mitch Denny

Brown Grouping

• Pete Cashmore (#1 seed)
• Cameron Olthuis
• Neil Patel
• Liz Gannes
• Rex Dixon
• Gabe Rivera
• Joel Spolsky
• Markus Urban

If you want to keep up with BloggerMania I, you should grab the RSS feed. I hope this is a lot of fun for everyone, both the participants and the viewers.

Lastly, any donations for BloggerMania are greatly appreciated!: