I missed the excitement of the early rush surrounding BlogRush, because I was doing my 5th annual Heart Kids Blogathon - and after that, my brain was fried!

Blog Rush is John Reese’s latest creation - and one that’ll launch his new Income.com bag of make money online tools.

Having missed the first wave of buzz, I did the next best thing. I researched reviews written by literally HUNDREDS of bloggers - and selected my short list of the most interesting Blog Rush reviews from across the Web and blogosphere to feature for you here.

As an aside before we begin, let me say that 95% of the reviews I read were insipid, lifeless and non-informative. The key to writing a good review is to be entertaining, informative and yes… CONTROVERSIAL.

Read. Enjoy. And THINK.

MASHABLE : BlogRush: 8 Reasons to Be Wary… and Optimistic
http://mashable.com/2007/09/16/blogrush-2/

Pete Cashmore takes a balanced look at what he thinks is good and bad about BlogRush. Coming from the perspective of an experienced and long-term blogger who also understands blog reader psychology, this is a nice review.

There’s a comment from LonelyBlogger, who claims to be the original owner of BlogExplosion.com, sharing some thoughts about the potential of a blog exchange like BlogRush - interesting reading.

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DOSH DOSH : Using Widgets to Get Traffic to Your Blog
http://www.doshdosh.com/blogrush-review-using-widgets-for-blog-traffic/

A balanced viewpoint about what potential exists in BlogRush, links to how-to videos to get set up, and a short, clinical justification for those wondering whether they should try it out, or wait and watch.

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ANDY BEARD : Blogrush - Free Blog Traffic - Indepth Review
http://andybeard.eu/2007/09/blogrush-free-blog-traffic.html

Andy’s done a great blog reviewing BlogRush. It has enough information about the service, it’s potential and technical details for anyone looking for quick information that’s easy to digest and gives a balanced perspective of pros of setting it up.

Of course, the Blog Rush homepage itself gives most of this information - but you get Andy’s ‘take’ on it at his blog.

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SHOEMONEY : How To Get 45k Impressions A Day From Blogrush
http://www.shoemoney.com/2007/09/16/how-to-get-45k-impressions-a-day-from-blogrush/

More than just a review, Shoemoney’s post about Blog Rush throws in a spin-off idea I see many marketers running with in the future - a way to incentivize blog readers to sign up under them!

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JOHN CHOW : Increase Your Traffic With Blog Rush
http://www.johnchow.com/increase-your-blog-traffic-with-blogrush/

John Chow’s Blog Rush review is fascinating - again, not for the content of the review itself, but for the number of responses it has evoked. There’s one comment nested in the discussion, which explains how you too can have a blog as effective as his!

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SQUIDOO : BlogRush Review Lens
http://www.squidoo.com/blogrush-review/

I’m including this review on the list, not because it has great content, but because it’s an innovative (and quick) use of social media like Squidoo.

By claiming the lens title for ‘Blog Rush Review’ and slapping up a quick page, the lensmaster has shown initiative we all can learn from - for future big bang launches!

Another Squidoo lens that’s more informative about Blog Rush is this one by Hans Chee - BlogRush - http://www.squidoo.com/blogrush

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Robert Scoble of Scobleizer (http://scobleizer.com/), Seth Godin (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/) and Guy Kawasaki (http://blog.guykawasaki.com/) are NOT using Blog Rush or blogging about it - which in itself is a review of the concept.

Silence is sometimes noisy!

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MOM GADGET : After the BlogRush
http://momgadget.com/after-the-blogrush/

Clear, concise, analytical view of Blog Rush - from a mom! Mother knows best, right?
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WEB 2.0 HOW-TO SPOT-ER : Using BlogRush to Bend The Web
http://www.howtospoter.com/web-20/using-blogrush-to-bend-the-web

Alex Sysoef comes at it from a different - refreshing - angle!

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PROBLOGGER : Find New Readers for Your Blog - BlogRush 1st Impression Review
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/09/16/find-new-readers-for-your-blog-blogrush-first-impression-review/

Darren Rowse says: “My initial impressions of the system is that it’s worth exploring.”

That seems to echo the thoughts of many other bloggers too - regardless of whether they think Blog Rush is the best thing since sliced bread, or feel it’s just waiting to implode!

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ANDY BEAL : BlogRush Offers Free Syndicated Blog Traffic
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2007/09/blogrush-offers-free-syndicated-blog-traffic.html

His first impression that Blog Rush is a “blog multi-level-marketing pyramid scheme” changed after people he knew well (including Mrs.Beal) convinced him to give it a try! Andy’s review is ok - the discussion in his blog comments is more revealing.

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45n5 : Warning - BlogRush May Violate The Adsense Terms Of Service
http://www.45n5.com/permalink/warning-blogrush-may-violate-the-adsense-terms-of-.html

Asks a potentially important question - Does Blog Rush violate the terms of service of Google Adsense… and answers with a cautious “I’m not 100% sure, but my opinion is you are on thin ice”. This is one review you may want to read in full.

NOMKIT : BlogRush - the Evil Backlink Spam Widget
http://www.nomkit.com/site-development/blogging/blogrush-is-spam

This guy sees Blog Rush becoming a spam magnet - and wants to see better filters and spam controls enforced.

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I’ll add more reviews of Blog Rush as and when I find them. If you know of any that fit, and want me to add them to the list, either email me the link, or just post it in the COMMENTS below.

My own commentary about Blog Rush will be coming soon is here - take a look at “Why I Think BlogRush Won’t Work - And Why I Hope I’m WRONG!”  I’m doing an opinion piece, including one of Mark Joyner’s new programs that’s launching soon in a kind of comparison. Stay tuned for it in a day or two.

The reviews of Blog Rush I found can be conveniently slotted into one of 3 categories:

#1 - I think BlogRush is GREAT

#2 - I think BlogRush is EVIL

#3 - BlogRush? Hmm… I’m NOT SURE

By far, the most balanced reviews came to the third conclusion - that we’ll have to wait and see how this pans out, and in the meantime, let’s test it out!

What do YOU think?

Post a note on the forum and have your say. Or just leave a comment.

My own review: Why I Think BlogRush Won’t Work - And Why I Hope I’m WRONG! 

Full Disclosure: All links to the Blog Rush website on this post are my affiliate links.