The internet is a veritable treasure trove of information and blogs make up a huge chunk of it.  According to Universal McCann, about 64.5% of internet users read blogs.  A staggering figure to be sure considering that as of September this year, there were about 1.9 billion internet users in the world.  In outsourcing, blogs are essential if not even more so, mainly because sentiment towards outsourcing tends to go either way.  With this in mind, we decided to search the internet for outsourcing blogs and compile a list of the blogs that we think deserve to be called one of the top blogs on outsourcing on the internet today.

Infinit-O’s Source department has been providing source management services for almost 5 years and today, they manage over 12,000 sources for our Outsourcing Information Insight platform. We have developed a comprehensive 8 stage process for adding and maintaining specific sources of interest for our clients’ requirements. To do this we classify sources using criteria that are fully customizable to our clients’ needs.

Some criteria are taken into consideration when we generated the Top 20 list include but not limited to:

A. Reputation

• Site reader following
• Site comment count
• Site member count
• Twitter follower count
• Facebook fan page count

B. Topic Relevance

• Determined by articles on the site that mention defined company/industry or topic criteria. In this case, outsourcing industry related posts.

C. Author Credibility

• The author provides own thoughts/opinion/comments.
• An expert in the field/industry of topic.
• NOT simply reposting the news.

The blogs have also been categorized according to:

• Collaborative Blogs – articles are contributed by numerous authors
• Company Blogs – articles are sponsored or are written by employees for a certain company
• Industry Expert Personal Blogs – blogs are written by recognized outsourcing industry experts, and are not sponsored by a certain company
• Organizational Blogs – articles are sponsored or are written by members of an outsourcing association
• Service Specific Blogs – are blogs revolving around a certain service under the outsourcing industry

So, without further ado, here is the Outsourcing Insider’s list of the Top 20 Outsourcing Blogs of 2010:

Collaborative Blogs

Global Services is a media platform for the global outsourcing industry, providing information, news, events and expert insights into the BPO and IT industry.

Horses for Sources is the destination for collective insight, research and open debate of outsourcing industry issues and developments.  Three years old and running, the blog is led by industry expert Phil Fersht.

oDesk Blog – Considering that freelancing is outsourcing on a smaller scale, the oDesk Blog is one great resource for tips and advice on outsourcing for the freelance community.

Nearshore Outsourcing in East Europe – Giving a regional take on outsourcing, Nearshore Outsourcing focuses on the news and developments, as well as investigating trends that surround the Central and Eastern parts of Europe.

The Outsource Portfolio blog was created by Mani Malarvannan.  It offers different points of view among the different sectors of the outsourcing industry.

Outsourcing Buzz blog is a great resource for those who want to join a network of people who monitor the developments and trends in the outsourcing industry.

The Outsourcing Weblog offers a wealth of advice about the outsourcing industry as well as providing insight on outsourcing reaching a broader market.

BPO Voice is a blog network for business process outsourcing professionals, including yours truly.  The blog offers, aside from articles on outsourcing, an array of news, views, and services designed to help BPO professionals.

Company Blogs

EquaTerra Blog – Truly advice worth keeping, the EquaTerra blog provides helpful insights into the outsourcing industry, and presents it in a clear, concise manner.

Infosys Blogs – Authored by Infosys employees, the Infosys Blogs offer some insight into the goings-on in Infosys, while providing tips and advice for outsourcers as well as for companies looking to outsource.

Integreon Blog – The blog by Integreon provides detailed information about legal process outsourcing, as well as educating readers on the merits of outsourcing.

Outsourcing Leadership, which is supported by Alsbridge, is a great resource for information, news, and research on outsourcing, offshoring and shared service centers.

SQC-Service Quality Central – Previously known as the QAQnA (Quality Assessment Questions aNd Answers), it is the official blog of the C Wenger Group.  The blog focuses primarily on quality assessment and customer service in the outsourcing industry.

Virtual Observations – The CSI Call Center Blog – The corporate blog of Coordinated Systems Inc, it features news about the company and some tips on how to improve contact center agent performance.

Industry-expert Personal Blogs

CIO’s Inside Outsourcing by Beth Bachelor offers news, opinions and thoughtful discussions on outsourcing in the IT industry.

Pragmatic Outsourcing – Nick Krym author of the Pragmatic Outsourcing blog, shares his 5T’s – Thoughts, Tools, Tips, Tricks, and Traps of outsourcing, in a witty and thoughtful manner.

The Outsourcing Debate – Authored by NOA Director and EquaTerra UK Outsourcing Advisory Services Director, Lee Ayling, The Outsourcing Debate livens up the outsourcing industry as Ayling shares his comments and opinions on the latest in the outsourcing industry.

Organizational Blogs

Outsourcing Russia – A great destination for those who want to read on the growing IT industry in Russia.

Service-Specific Blogs

Legal Process Outsourcing – After only two years of tracking the activity in the Legal Process Outsourcing, Legallyours was already awarded as the Best Lawyer Toolkit Blog by ABA in 2007.

TriNet HR Blog – The blog by TriNet caters to those who are interested in getting insight and information on Human Resources issues, as well as management best practices and leadership tips.

About Infinit-O

A pioneer in Social Media Analytics and Research outsourcing, Infinit Outsourcing’s core team of analysts and researchers can deliver efficiently and effectively, in rapid time, the data your company and clients need. With almost 5 years of experience in sourcing and research outsourcing, Infinit-O believes that a hybrid solution of technology and human complex insight can deliver further in-depth understanding.

At Infinit-O, we offer a multitude of sourcing and research services including source management and categorization, data mining, sentiment analysis, demographic profiling, and data coding.

Learn more about our Source Management Solutions.

Did we forget anyone? Let us know at the comments below!