My two most frequently-read and (during the period when Gartner policy didn’t forbid it, and shortly, now that the policy has changed back to openness) most-commented-upon blogs are actually peripheral to my coverage area, and date back to my long-time research interests (all the way back to college).

The first is the blog of Raph Koster, one of the old hands of virtual worlds, and the author of a book called The Theory of Fun, and has a great deal to say about the future of online games and social worlds.

The second is Terra Nova, a collaborative academically-oriented blog on online gaming and virtual worlds. It contains a lot of thoughtful, sometimes quantitative, past, present, and future of these worlds.

My favorite blog is one that is no longer updated: Creating Passionate Users. It’s about creating better user experiences, whether through technology or other means. It’s all worth reading.

Other than that, I like marketing guru Seth Godin. He’s usually got a bunch of interesting ideas on consumers, businesses, and the art of marketing and selling.

I’m also fond of Joel on Software, whose musings on software development, gadgetry, and technology are always interesting to read and periodically thought-provoking.

Finally, an emergency room physician going by the handle of figent figary writes compellingly about her ER experiences. Unlike the other authors on this blogroll, she hasn’t written a book — but she should.

I’m tagging Eric Goodness, Nick Jones, and Allen Weiner for their list of blogs they like.