Inside blogball **

LAist, one of the local New York-owned city blog offshoots, has found a new way to generate buzz about itself. Publisher Jake Dobkin (Gothamist) posted a chart showing LAist has higher traffic than Blogging.la, then ripped them in his comments. He may be upset that Metro Blogging has grown so much bigger than Gothamist, but if it's tactical the move doesn't seem very well thought out. Besides using flawed site meter stats to measure popularity, and disclosing that LAist's numbers are pretty low for a professional site, Dobkin has come in for some mocking in the comments to his post and criticism on other blogs. Mack Reed writes at LAVoice.org:

What, precisely LAist hopes to accomplish by this charmless act of sword-brandishing is not entirely clear. It's not as though either site is drowning in valuable ad accounts that are ripe for takeover. Maybe it's a way of drumming up false controversy - and thus, inflating interest in LAist. I mean hell, look here, I took the bait..."

So too did LAblogs.com, which asks Does anyone really give a flying f? And now me too. By the way, I recommend the Dodgers coverage by Phil Wallace at LAist (his name has been taken off the posts, but I assume he still is writing them). I notice today the site continues its weekly tour of the area's Coffee Beans. Last time I mentioned it, they took a curiously personal swipe at me. Maybe it's just the LAist way.

* Hiding the evidence: It appears LAist has deleted Dobkin's criticism and readers' critical comments about his post. Sean Bonner at Blogging.la reacts, as does Mack Reed at LAVoice.org. ** Well what do you know: The comment thread is back at LAist, and Phil Wallace's name has been affixed to the Dodgers post. Also, Brian Hay at the Hertz-Blog adds a thought.