Best of Blogs according to Forbes.com

You know blog's have become something big when Forbes.com, the online magazine, not the print magazine (they want you to know that), come up with a listing of the best blogs as part of the Forbes.com Best of The Web.

Forbes.com-ers came up with their picks for the best blogs in 20 different categories including art, autos, blog tools, careers, marketing, media, music, technology, and video games. Of course they had to winnow their picks down from a mountain of well-known and lesser-known titles.

Why take a look and keep looking? Because this online info will be a great resource for readers and marketers looking to focus on quality content in the blogosphere.

For example, in the career category, Forbes.com singled out Monster Blog; in autos Autoblog received a nod; in the Meta Blogs category, Technorati was cited; and in shopping, a blog dubbed Mighty Goods scored a mention. I bet you didn't know any of those even exisited before now. That's what makes something like this helpful. There's a lot of blog's out there, but not alot that you have time for.

"The majority of blogs aren't worth a click, but blogs should not be ignored because they represent a powerful new force in information dissemination and collaboration," said Matt Schifrin, editor of Forbes.com's Best of The Web, in a release.

In the marketing category, we readers will pay particular attention to the fact that Marketing Vox, Ad Rants, and Seth Godin's blog were singled out. But there were also blogs we've never heard of in that category: They are Chris Baggott, Church of the Customer and Duct Tape Marketing. Each listing includes a brief review and a "best" and "worst" line.

Although my blog was not listed, I'll let it go this time... :)

Check out the full report here.
http://www.forbes.com/2005/07/25/bow050725011.html

The hard core blogger

According to Steven Streight of the blog "Blog Core Values, "Some improve their writing skills, by posting frequent essays, and by reading well-written blogs by others." I agree. I also think he has quite a few good points. I especially liked the "Hardcore blogger" and the "New Unblog".

So, if you are looking for a good blog to read over as part of your research, check this one out for yourself:
'http://blogcorevalues.blogspot.com/2005/07/who-can-be-hardcore-blogger.html'

Oh, if you are wondering how he comes up with such good stuff, you can check out his profile...Steven Streight is a Jakob Nielsen/Jacques Derrida deconstruction-based blogologist. He also is a provider of web usability analysis, web credibility assessment, blog implementation, and online content writing.

What's in a Name?

Coming up with a new and exciting name that involves "blog" is not as easy as you might think. It took me a little while to finally come up with "My Blog Guide". Why? Because so many people have already taken all the obvious names. And, of course in marketing, it's all about branding and naming.

I'm not alone in this challenge. On the "Mouth Trap" blog you'll find a post called, "De Blogiones: What's in a Name?" According to Orwell & Co, "In the great search for the perfect name of a nascent blog, it became readily apparent that the "name game" was more complicated than previously thought...It is striking how wonderfully malleable language becomes on the blog medium...Mouth Trap" was used to describe bloggers' blogorrhea (including my own) and the confused babble of the blogosphere."

Click on over to find some interesting and well spoken (pardon the pun) comments about naming your own blog.

The New Digital Divide

Most people look at the web and geeks like me as something different or strange. There are of course a lot of jokes and most people like to say they really do not know much about new technology and like to keep it that way.

Up until I read the "New Digital Divide" post by Seth Godin (my marketing guru of choice), I didn't really consider some of the current and long term implications. Although people may joke about the "geeks inheriting the world", it's really not a joke.

People that use and understand new technology have a huge jump on those that don't. I fully agree with Godin on that point. I realize that some people are more "programmed" (pardon the pun) for technology than others but turning your back on it like self proclaimed technophobes is just ignoring the obvious.

I've always been someone who loves change. I like change so much that I'm famous (in a very small/tight circle) for the fact that I will not go and come back the same way. If I go for a nightly exercise walk it's down one side of the street and up another. When I drive to the store, I go one way there and another way back.

Why you ask? Besides being a bit nuts (it was running through your head, admit it). Because I'm always looking for something new. Something that will generate new ideas, new interests.

Ok, I digressed a bit there. But, in any case. Take a look at Godin's post. Then, take a look at which side of the divide you sit on. Maybe, just maybe, I won't look so nuts anymore!
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/05/the_new_digital.html

Unusual But Effective Blogger

If you keep up on the latest "blog inside scoop" you are probably aware that the majority of the 12 million blogs out there (Pew Internet of American Life Study 2/05) are software or technology companies, marketing or advertising companies, or a mix of consumer packaged goods, manufacturing, or non-profit. So, the average old "mom & pop" business has really yet to jump on this bandwagon.

That's why I really promote our clients to start blog's. It's a huge marketing competitive boost to be the one to start something within your target market. Just because your competitors may not be blogging, doesn't mean you should ignore it. Instead, embrace it. Blogging is so new that competitors may not know about it. Think of the term "website" in the 90's.

Of course you know I'm going to give you an example. Here it is http://jtpaints.blogspot.com Yes, it's about a painting company's owner and his company JT Paints. How does he use his blog? To post before and after pictures of his work. Also to provide support to people who want to add color but are just afraid to leave those bare white walls. He's got a great personality that really comes through in the writing. I steered him in the direction of a blog because his regular website just did not have the simple functionality he needed. And, to get it was a bit outside of his price range at the moment.

Let me know what you think. Or, better yet. Go to his blog and let him know!

The Truth About Blogs Per Someone Else

I've written my own version of the "Truth about Technology" or the "Truth about Blogs". But, somehow it just never seems to be as targeted and as concise as this one statement, "The Truth About Blogs is similar to the Truth About Microphones. Don't give one to a bad singer [or a bad blogger]."

Once again Steven Streight stays on topic and points out some of the more interesting sides of blogging. Make sure to check out his full post.

So, what do you think? And, I guess the most important question is how do we let someone know they need to put down the darn microphone?

All About Blogs Workshop

All About Internet Blogs: They’re Here to Stay & They Affect Your Business

Presented by Samantha Rufo, nxtConcepts at the MSAA Summer Trade Show, Olympia Resort & Conference Center, Wisconsin for Midwest Ski Area Members

Monday, August 8, 2005 8:30am-10:00am

The Internet revolution is responsible for two of the dumbest names in business. The first is the "Web." The next is the "blog." Most people have heard about blogs (short for Web logs). There are millions of them - with significant marketing, social, political and cultural merit.

Blogs offer a new way to communicate with customers. That’s not only more personal, but easier and less costly than ANY other marketing method.

Plan to attend this eye opening morning session to find out how to keep your organization ahead of the competition!

Who Should Attend

Area owners, operators, and managers. This program is especially relevant for individuals who have positions with responsibilities such as strategic planning, marketing, sales, advertising, promotion, brand building, and media relations.

Why You Should Attend:

This All About Blogs Program will provide you and your team with applicable, immediately usable marketing skills, including:

® What a Blog Is Not and What It Is (What’s with all the jargon anyway?

® Who’s Doing It and How Big of a Thing It Is

o Case Study: The Negative Blog Storm that Ruined a Company’s Reputation

® Why This Type of Website Will Make a Positive Impact on Your Business

® What Makes One Successful?

® Concerns (Time, Content, Feedback, Legal)

® Getting Started

o How you can use a blog (events, press info, photos, ski reporting)

o What to write about

o How often to write

o Monitoring

o Resources

When finished, you will:

® Have a solid understanding of what a blog is and how it works.

® Know how a blog differentiates you from your competitors.

® See why customers like them so much & why you shouldn’t ignore them.

® Understand how to create, keep, and support a successful blog effort.

® Learn from interactive discussions, case studies, and other resources.

Number of Blogs-Are Most Worth Anything?

I read something interesting today. Depending on who you believe, studies are showing that Blog's are growing at exponential numbers each day. The number at the moment is not important to me. Just the point. I digress. Back to what I read.

If I can find the author with a link on the web, I will place it here. Until then, the story said that the number of new blogs is really inflated. That many more blogs are created as a "test" or as a spamming tool more than one's that are created for great content, ideas, or thought leadership.

This does not surprise me. Nor does all the blog spamming that I see. About half the blog's that I come upon on the web are there just to fool a search engine. They have no merit. I'm sure you've stumbled upon these. They are just pages with ton's of links and nothing of value. What a waste of bandwidth!

Don't get me wrong. I fully believe Blog's are becoming more and more popular. And, they should. They are easy to get and do. Plus, they open the web to anybody, not just technical programmers.

I guess my biggest pet peeve is trying to sift out the good blog's that I actually want to read from the dud's. Anyone have ideas? Other than using the blog search engines?

Welcome!

Yes, this is the first post on my new blog about guiding others about blogging. Say that fast five times.

So, what can you expect? An inside look to my trials and tribulations regarding blogging, the blogosphere--what works and what doesn't.

If you must know. This is not my first blog. I've been blogging for a bit over a year now. Problem was, I don't think I had a true handle on what the meat of a blog should be. I treated it more like a newspaper. Lot's of stories, but not lot's of personality. Not surprisingly, I did not get a lot of feedback. Ok, none. The software had something to do with it. I didn't use true blogging software so it effectively hid my posts from the world. Lesson learned!

In just a few short weeks I'll be giving a talk about Blogs. What they are. How to get started. What makes one successful, and a host of other topics. It is that speech that prompted my to discard my other blogs and focus on this one. You see I realized that I was trying way too hard to use the blog as a sales tool rather than letting my natural instincts take over to just write about what makes what I do unique and exciting.

I'm turning over a new leaf. That's why this blog will focus on the beginner blogger. The trials, the tribulations. I'll even highlight a few of our clients once in awhile to provide some interesting case studies.

So, stick around. Or, at least check back in a few months to see how my little experiment is working out.

Do you already have a blog? Why not share it with me and tell me why you started one.