For many account teams, outreach to bloggers and other members of online communities continues to grow. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to go to start building a list to talk to. Should you try Google Blogsearch, BlogPulse or Technorati? Which will give you the best information and how can you find people writing about specific topics.

One answer is to use a blog directory. Two years ago, the Technorati Blog Directory was often the first and last stop when looking for blogs on a particular topic. Over the last couple years, new sites have popped up to help people discover new blogs to read and to act as Yellow Pages for blogs in different topics. Here are five sites to use for discovering new blogs.

1.       AllTop.com is a site that claims, “We've got all the top stories covered all the time,” and is indeed to have all the top categories covered as well. AllTop is a curated site and publishes the most recent headlines in over fifty topics from blogs around the world. It isn’t a destination, but a starting place to explore the blogosphere.

2.       The Delightful Blog directory is a collection of 3200 blogs that have requested by the authors to be reviewed for the directory. This directory promises to cut “through the blog smog” and offer you only the most delightful blogs. Unlike other directories, blogs that make the cut are charged a one-time listing fee of $13.

3.       Many of our clients fit in the Long Tail of commerce and serve a niche audience. To prove that you can find a blog directory for almost any topic here is the Weather Blog Directory and the Aviation Blog Directory. How can you find a niche blog directory? Do a Google search for “blog directory” and “niche audience label.”

4.       Yes, even bloggers need their own social network and BC claims to have one of largest blog directories with The Blog Catalog. It is simple to search to find blogs on any topic you might need for outreach. BC also allows you to search what the community is currently buzzing about with a social search engine.

5.       StumbleUpon doesn’t quite fit the bill as a blog directory, but it is a great discovery tool that you can use to find new blogs and sites that cater to different topics. StumbleUpon has a very active community that rates sites and continues adding new finds to the mix.

How do you find new blogs? Please let us know on the wiki or via email.