My friend Gaga (known in real life as Susan Fox) asked me for a recommendation on some blogs to read. Now, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but a lot of what I learn and have learned has come from these particular blogs. I could probably list hundreds without much trouble – and maybe some day when my arm isn’t killing me, I’ll do just that 🙂 In the meantime…
25 blogs to read and enjoy!
1. PushingSocial.com: From my friend Stanford Smith. Blogging advice, Social Media advice. Motivational, kick your butt into gear, shining star kind of content.
2. MayaREGuru.com: While Maya’s primary focus is real estate, she lives at the intersection of real estate and Social Media, and she’s a pretty awesome observer of society as well. For humor, snark, knowledge, and a peek into the Real Estate world, give Maya’s blog a gander.
3. Kherize5.com/blog: Written my girl Suzanne Vara, what you’ll find here is a wide variety of topics, ranging from observations on Social Media to helpful LinkedIn tutorials, all infused with Suzanne’s shiny personality and interesting insights.
4. GeoffLivingston.com: Geoff is a no-holds-barred kind of guy, which I respect even if I don’t always agree (and sometimes I heartily disagree, as he does with me). However, what I like about Geoff’s blog is that he covers Social Media as it intersects with the bigger world picture, including how to use Social Media for charitable causes. That’s a valuable contribution.
5. LisaPetrilli.com: I’ve come to be a leading cheerleader in the Lisa Petrilli fanclub. I’ve gotten to know Lisa better via #leadershipchat on Twitter, and of course she won my heart by confessing in a blog post that she is a total history nut. Lisa focuses on leadership and how to optimize performance, and while her blog defines itself as for the c-suite, it’s a good read for anybody.
6. Dannybrown.me: Danny is another “I say what I mean and mean what I say” kind of guy, so if you disagree, don’t expect him to say, “Oh, ok, my bad. You’re right, reader.” That said, I seldom disagree with what Danny has to say. He is another person who focuses often on Social Media as it intersects with the real world, and he also infuses his posts with a genuine care for humanity, which, let’s face it, is a good trait to have.
7. Moradpour.com: My friend Tom Moradpour started blogging (FINALLY!!) a few months ago, and ever blog post he’s put out since has been awesome (don’t you just hate people who are good at everything?). Tom touches on Social Media and marketing from the standpoint of the company (he’s the global director of marketing for Pepsi), so it’s a nice vantage point for marketing geeks like me.
8. MackCollier.com: Well, why wouldn’t you visit the blog of the Blogchat king? The great thing about Mack’s posts is that he really digs into the numbers rather than just waxing poetical about things like, well, like I do 🙂 He does the research and offers it up for everyone’s benefit.
9. OutspokenMedia.com: The blog of altogether awesome-sauce lady Lisa Barone, Outspoken Media is just that – outspoken. Lisa uses harsh language sometimes, but her observations about SEO, Social Media, and the world in general are always spot on, and she always offers a great read.
10. TommyIsMyNameAndTheseAreMyThoughts: You’ve gotten to know my friend Tommy Walker through his gracious guest posts on this here site. I have immense respect for Tommy’s knowledge of Facebook and also his ability to make it all make sense. He even can convince people who hate Facebook to start liking it, which is a great skill!
11. TwistImage.com: The blog site of Mitch Joel, I go to this website when I have some time to sit down for a good half hour and truly ponder a decadent slice of content. Mitch covers lots of topics ranging from Social Media to the broader world of business and marketing, but I always leave his blog feeling simultaneously dumber and smarter than I felt before.
12. Christopher Penn’s Awaken Your Superhero: I almost always find myself feeling more at ease after reading posts by Christopher Penn. Whether he’s talking about Klout.com or life in general, he has a really unique writing voice that just makes things seem all so easy and yet intricately complicated at the same time. Full of thought and positivity, I love visiting this blog!
13. BrassTackThinking.com: The combined efforts of Amber Naslund and Tamsen McMahon combine to form Brass Tack Thinking – and these two women provide just that. No nonsense advice, inspiration, motivation, though leadership, and calling a spade a spade. If that’s your kind of thing, you need to head on over to this site!
14. Last Millenial to Blog: I met Kyle thanks to Chris Brogan tweeting out a post of mine. Kyle considers himself the last millenial to get into blogging (I doubt that’s true) and his takes are always well thought-out, interesting, funny, and personable – just like he is on Twitter @spittk07. Give him a read and a tweet!
15. BrandontheDuncan.com: I met Brandon, whom I call BD, at a Blogchat. Brandon is a digital dad who has a lovely and human voice to his blog. He’s a lovely person and I always find myself smiling at his posts. Sometimes I smile at posts that aren’t so happy just because he is so human. Sssh!
16. LouImbriano.com: Lou just moved his site and I’m excited about it! Lou approaches things, generally, from a sports perspective, but the motivation and joyful insights he offers are beyond compare. I always leave his blog feeling like I can conquer everything and anything, and man, I need to read stuff that makes me feel that way! 🙂
17. BusinessGrow.com: Mark Schaeffer’s blog. Mark covers everything from Klout to Social Media to being addicted to our mobile devices. He always does so in a thoughtful way that seems to leave me no choice but to respond. This has become one of my favorite blogs over the last couple of months. I suggest you check it out!
18. MomInManagement.com: Daria is another person whom I met at a Blogchat (when I see tweetchats are valuable, I’m talking about something I know about!), and I’m so glad I did. Daria invited me to collaborate with her and other women on the Executive Image series, which I think was eye opening for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. Daria provides immense amounts of quality knowledge like that, and she’s a lovely person to boot!
19. CarolRoth.com: I actually got to know Carol a bit better because of the Executive Image series, where she left an amazing comment for me. Carol is a business woman, accomplished, and intimidating in all of her success, but she is also a (now depressed) Bears fan, supportive, and a bright ray of sunshine.
20. ChrisBrogan.com I probably don’t need to detail all of the various reasons why I visit this blog, but suffice to say, a lot of what I know in the Social Media space is the result of reading Chris’s posts religiously. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination 🙂
21. FredMcClimans.com: Fred is frighteningly smart, and is another person whose blog makes me feel simultaneously dumb and smart. Fred focuses a great deal on research but also has a tremendous eye for looking at the Social Media and marketing landscapes and finding details that a lot of other people miss. He’s a pretty good guy, too!
22. AllThingsFadra.com: Fadra Nally was one of the first people to follow me back and talk to me on Twitter, so she’ll always hold a special place in my heart. Reading her blog will give you a glimpse as to why. Always from the heart, often funny, and always truly human, Fadra’s blog is also particularly useful if you’re a mom. Check out her site!
23. MollyDCampbell.com: I’ve told you about Molly before and many have praised her innate humor and her rich writing style. Well, I guess that about sums it up. Observations on life, sometimes through a Social Media prism. You’ll almost always leave with a smile on your face.
24. Inoveryourhead.net: The blog site of Julien Smith. I told Julien once that his blog posts are like fudge. You can just wrap yourself up in his thought processes. Now, sometimes Julien uses naughty words, so if that bothers you, just be ready to say “bleep” a lot. I wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of enjoying his posts.
25. MyEscapeVelocity.com: A project that two of the people on this list (Chris Brogan and Carol Roth) work on with others – this is a project that really is right for the times. Per the title, it’s all about how to tear yourself through gravity and accomplish what you want to accomplish. Whether it’s organization, task management, or finding your dream job, this site has it.
So those are my 25 choices, or at least some of the ones that came to mind today. What are yours?
Image by Billy Alexander. http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ba1969