Technorati has updated the way they display blog ranking by swapping "authority" in place of sites linking back to your blog.
Also looks like some of the numbers are changing as well—they must be tweaking their measurement methods. Here's the issue on the table. I don't think this is newbie friendly. For someone who is trying to figure out the world of Technorati and what perceived influence translates to— the words authority and rank numbers don't really mean anything.
I'm not sure if this is a good user experience—especially for first time users. There is an opportunity to simplify and clarify here. The number of sites linking back is a concrete idea in the context of "easy to understand". Ranking numbers and concepts like authority are more abstract ideas. The same rules apply to Technorati as they do for any brand—provide a good experience, don't make your users work so hard to get what they want/need and desire. Speak in their language, not yours.
I started looking at Technorati just over a year ago—so it's still somewhat fresh in my memory. I still remember the concepts of sites linking back being one of the few measurements I could initially wrap my head around. If today were my first day visiting the site, I would be mystified. Not a great first impression for any brand. Even a 2.0 one.
Of course, I could be wrong. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Tip of the hat to Ben Yoskovitz for the heads up.
