I can’t really say that doing something one year is the stuff traditions are made of, but once you do something for two years, well, there’s a chance it might catch on.
With that in mind, I present you, for the second year in a row, with my favorite blog posts of the year. This year, presented in no particular order or categorization (uncharacteristically for me!). Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
I hope you enjoy this list. I know I didn’t include every post that touched me this year. But these are a good solid handful.
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/funadium/553343932/ via Creative Commons
Margie thank you so much for including me in this list (10 times no less!) You’re an incredible friend and I’m so very happy that I know you!
P.s I’m starting a new Podcast project for 2012 and was wondering if you’d maybe like to be a guest at some point?
@Tommyismyname anything for you, m’dear! 🙂
Margie, I am completely, overwhelmingly, genuinely humbled. Thank you for including me in the company of men and women who I not only respect and admire, but who inspired me to start writing my blog. You have a gift for not only brightening the world with your own light, but finding the soulful light of others and making sure the world takes note. You are a brilliant gift to us all – thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship!
@LisaPetrilli What she said.
How could I have said it any better?
@LisaPetrilli Lisa, all I can say to that is my most genuine and heartfelt thank you. It does not suffice, but it’s the best I got. Thank you so much.
Margie, last year your list opened me up to so many wonderful bloggers so that this year I can say that I have already read many of your top 100 picks (nice job pulling this all together). Kudos to everyone on this list!
@briansrice Thanks Brian. I wish I could include every post that i have enjoyed over the year. 100 is never enough! ((hugs))
Margie – I honestly don’t know how you do it. You continue to inspire me, and for some strange reason include me in these lists with far more talented writers. I’m grateful and blessed to call you friend. I’m so glad we had a chance to meet in person this year. You’re a wonderful friend and a true gem of the social web.
@Sean McGinnis Aw, thanks Sean. I’m very glad I got to meet you too. One of the highlights of my year!! 🙂
Thanks for the inclusion. I’m glad something that I wrote sparked a reaction or an idea. Over time, I’ve realized that whether or not anyone actually agrees with what I write is incidental; to me, if a reader feels compelled to form an opinion at all, that’s a sign that a post was worth writing. Best wishes for continued inspiration in 2012 and beyond.
@JustinKownacki Well I would say you excel at that, Justin. You are quite admirable 🙂
Margie
Thank you so very much for including my post. I wrote that in the middle of packing the car after midnight. It was an amazing journey that was shared with you and for that I am grateful. It was a long road and as I took a minute the other day and looked back on 2011 it was not until I wrote down accomplishments and failures that I realized how incredibly amazing this journey was. There were the ups and hard downs but in the end, I fought and fought hard. I fought with every bone, muscle, organ, vein and capillary I had and always believed that the harder you believe and fight, the prize will be yours. I can honestly say without any reservations that it was all worth it to have the happiness that I have every single day in NJ. I am so blessed and so lucky to have all the people through this journey who ensure that Every.Single.Day. I am smiling I love what I have. I got here because of the strength that others kept alive in me. Nothing is better that that.
@SuzanneVara I’m still waiting for the movie!
Honored and delighted to be a part of this incredible resource. Thanks for putting this out. It’s a ton of work to bring a huge wrap-up together, and I love your choices here. Some real gems i hadn’t seen, too. Just another reason you’re at the top of my own list – favorite people I’ve never met. Let’s’ change that.
@JayBaer Funny Jay, i have a similar list and YOU are on it. Great minds…:) Thanks, sir!
Wow – what a labor of love putting this together, Margie! I clicked on a number of those links for posts I either never saw, or need to re-read. Some great minds assembled here – despite my inclusion… :>}
@SteveWoodruff Steve Steve silly Steve – you are right where you belong 🙂
I’m not as nice as all of that though. Everyone on this list is going to chip in for my PT bill cuz of all the typing I did 🙂 hehe 🙂
Happy Holidays, m’friend!
Whoooeee, not only did I make a list, I’m in some pretty high cotton over here. Thanks so much for including me.
How you keep track of this and then put it together is incredible. Sounds like work to me; maybe that is why I stay away from it……….:)
Very impressive and thanks for sharing; I will definitely have to check these posts out.
@bdorman264 Thanks Bill. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Margie, Wow! Two posts of mine that made the list? You know I’m just barking recklessly out in the back yard, right? Thank you. I don’t know how you keep track of all of this and still write as much quality yourself as you do. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast — and I’m writing this at 8:20 am! When the world all goes to crap, we need to save the librarians, copy editors, artists and writers or we will never make sense out of how to rebuild.
You always leave me a bit flustered when you put me on one of your lists. Not only do I think I don’t deserve to be there, but it humbles me even more when I realize someone else is reading my thoughts and think they are good enough to share. It reminds me of that no matter where we are, we are all sleeping underneath the same big sky, wishing on the same bright star.
A very warm (and somewhat teary right now) happy holidays to you Margie.
@dogwalkblog Aww. Well, you have great thoughts to share (especially for a dog). Really you should be the star of a movie. I can’t figure out how you type 😉
You’re awesome and are more than deserving. No teary eyes allowed!
What a list! And I am honoured to be on it. It’s a good to be reminded that I really do love the Internet because you know there are times the popular sentiments online make me beyond inconsolable. Thank you Margie for your kindness. And thank you even more for always showing me great content and introducing me to amazing minds.
@KatCaverly You are 100% entirely and completely welcome, lovely lady 🙂
Wow, Margie, what a great list and I am so honored to be here! Now off to read so many of these gems. Thanks for putting in the time and energy to collect all of these. It’s a beautiful gift.
@susangiurleo Thanks Susan. That’s how it was intended : )
Holy Cow Margie. The work you put in this baby is amazing. Seriously impressed with your diversity too.
Thanks so much and have a wonderful weekend,
Marcus
@Marcus_Sheridan Glad to hear you liked it Marcus. Thank you!!
Amazing list: familiar with many…look forward to tucking into those posts I’ve not yet read. Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough Thanks Kaarina!
Margie, You are a star, thank you for putting this list together! Great Resource of amazing blog post that are worth of reposting them during the week! Thank you and again thank you The Queen of Sheba 🙂
@jureklepic Thank you sir Prince of all Men 🙂 I appreciate all of your support 🙂
Margie – An amazing list. How the heck can you read all these blogs this and list all these blogs and write your own blog and run #tweetdiner and oh yes, eat and sleep and work and do laundry and everything IRL??
@spofcher You think I do laundry? How sweet 🙂
Haha 🙂
It’s all about doing things in little bits and pieces, m’friend 🙂
Margie —
Thank you for including me in your amazing year end round up. Your curation talents are as strong as your marketing ones. This is a post worth bookmarking and dipping into. Big round of applause for providing us with holiday reading.
I agree that it’s sad about the passing of Trey Pennington and Bruce Sevran.
Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen
@HeidiCohen Thanks Heidi. Sad indeed =/
Hi Margie!
Thanks for including me in this post AND for including all the other incredible posts! You rock!
-Lauren
@graylaurenk You’re welcome! I hope you’re well!
Margie, I am very very honored to be included in your 2nd Annual Top 100 Blogs list. It really makes me feel special.
Thank you so very much. Now I’m going to try and read them all.
@Biebert Enjoy 🙂
Ooooh. I came back for a second visit (couldn’t get enough the first time around) and it looks like you changed the layout. Pretty interesting tool. Can I assume it’s a simple plugin?
@Sean McGinnis it’s a new tool from our mutual friend Nick Kellet – it’s called List.ly. Isn’t it neat!?? I’m a guinea pig 🙂
@margieclayman Nice! Seems pretty interesting…. Had no idea Nick was involved. Hmmmm.
I spent all afternoon going through these treasures. Well done, and thanks for including me!
@markwschaefer Aw, thanks, Mark. I know some pretty smart peoples 🙂 And you! haha 😉
@margieclayman I just clipped this entire page to Evernote so I can read ALL of these. Thanks for putting together such a comprehensive list! You rock some seriously awesome social media socks! {:>)
@tracyschutz Thanks, lady!
Wow Margie! This is an incredible list. Thank you for including my post.
@Debra_Ellis of course 🙂
I like the list feature of this blog post! So cool! How hard was it to create and publish?
@ginidietrich Heya Gini-san – it’s actually super duper easy. Do you know Nick Kellet? This is his new baby, Listly. It’s pretty durned cool 🙂
Thanks so much Margie! You’ve definitely given me a great reading list to keep me occupied over break. 🙂
@MomInManagement That was the idea! 🙂
Honored to be on this list Margie! What great company, more than anything honored to know YOU!
@danielnewmanUV Thanks Dan, and likewise!
thank you both! 🙂 @ckburgess @DWesterberg
thank ya everybody!! @ckburgess @dwesterberg
Margie,
If anyone is a ”monstrous” writer, it’s YOU and I don’t think any of these writers would disagree. But thank you so much for the compliment! You’ve been an inspiration to all of us. You’re my muse. Just love ya Margie and you know it!
Cheryl K. Burgess
@ckburgess
@ckburgess Aw, thanks so much Cheryl. And back at ya 🙂
This is a FANTASTIC roundup! I remember so many of these from earlier in the year. @Marcus_Sheridan ‘s post was definitely a memorable one as were many of the others. I’m also glad to have discovered a lot of others that I missed and some new folks too! Thanks for giving me some good content to chew on over the holidays.
Oh, and thanks for including me too, friend. I’m honored to be here with such a stellar lineup. I appreciate you! 🙂
BTW – Love the list feature. Really cool! Are you going to share your secret for doing it?
@lauraclick Hi Laura! Thank you very much for your kind words!
As for the list, it’s not my secret, it’s @nickkellet’s – he is working with the company that does these lists (called Listly). It’s pretty nifty, huh? 🙂
Thanks so much, Margie — honored to be included on a @margieclayman list of anything! There are so many great writers and posts to read here, but I know it will be worth looking them all up if they pass the “Margie Test”. Thanks again, Margie, you’re the best! (and have now accomplished my goal of including “Margie” in every one of my sentences!)
Margie finally getting caught up on my December reading – thank you so much for being included in this list. Its an amazing round up, and some that I’d missed, which means now I’ll need to catch up on my January reading list 🙂 While I know we’ll never stamp out BSOS, maybe can contain it. Happy 2012.