There are a lot of good blogs out there. There are bad ones. But most of the time there’s just mediocrity. It’s easy to get lost in that mediocrity without some help to point you towards the good stuff.
I’ve talked about a commenting strategy before. And I’ve highlighted the importance of liking the blogs you comment on. You need to enjoy a blog and genuinely want to engage with it in order to make a real contribution to its discussion.
So I thought I’d briefly introduce some of the blogs I regularly enjoy, well known or otherwise.
Online Marketing Banter
James Duthie has been a direct help to me as I’ve developed Fog of Eternity. But he’s no slouch as a blogger himself as Online Marketing Banter demonstrates.
Why it’s great
Lengthy and well thought out posts. A discussion that focuses on some of the less traditional topics of social networking/online marketing blogging. James has a clear and chatty writing style, which is easily accessible to new readers.
Making it even better
I’d like to see more than one or two updates a week. The blog design, while clear, is a little uninspiring. As a random new visitor I’m not sure it would make the site “stick” for me.
The Social Creature
This is a reasonably new blog, only around for a month and a half or so.
Why it’s great
Impressively eclectic discussion topics while maintaining an overall social networking/online focus. While using a simple Blogger template it manages to retain a strong visual impact through its logo and good use of colour.
Making it even better
Won’t criticise the relatively irregular updates, Ski obviously has a lot of commitments while writing from Iraq. But it needs to develop a wider audience to provoke more discussion.
Broadcasting Brain
Think my first experience with Broadcasting Brain was noticing Mark Dykeman’s engaging logo on Twitter. Followed the link back and found a great blog.
Why it’s great
Regular posts over a wide range of topics, BB is turning into a genuine authority site (as recognised by it making the Alltop front page). Mark has great insight into all aspects of social media. He presents those insights in a really engaging way that helps to provoke thought and discussion.
Making it even better
I think the right navigation bar is a bit busy. Personal taste perhaps, but I’m not a big fan of the large “recent visitors” MyBlogLog widget. I think it takes away some of the focus on the recent posts and top commentators.
Noticing the littler guy
One of the best things about social networking is that you can stumble across web content you wouldn’t otherwise fine. And the joy of blogging is that once you’ve found that content you can join the discussion. All about the development of the reciprocal value I talked about yesterday! And sure, there’s great content in the big name blogs from Louis Gray or Robert Scoble, but there’s equally great content that isn’t as well known. That content and those writers are well deserving of support.
9 Comments
Been reading for a while now. Just wanted to say good job.
Chris Tackett
Hey, thanks for the comments. I think you’re right about the MyBlogLog widget. Cheers.
P.S. I like your blog too, dude.
Mark Dykemans last blog post..The necessary evil of repetition
Thanks for the inclusion Robin. I’d love to post more than once or twice a week as well… but the lengthier article style generally prohibits this. Plus, I do try to spend some time with my girlfriend every now and then. If only she lived overseas… :)
As for design… yeah… clearly not my forte. I’ve never designed a site in my life (as can be seen). I hacked together the header with my very limited knowledge of Fireworks. I’m hoping content will help readers stick rather than design (Lord help me if it doesn’t…).
James Duthies last blog post..Google thinks I’m a pyromaniac!
@Mark – I think there’s a smaller widget that does the same thing, which might be an option. Not that it’s a major issue, given the quality of the blog content.
@James – Sure, and definitely take your point on quality over quantity, and RL commitments. Given you’re using WordPress as a platform and I’m looking to develop a bit of a wider portfolio in any case, be happy to play around with a couple of refreshed design ideas and see what you think.
I’m SOOO not a big name blog. :-)
And yes, highlighting the little guys is absolutely a great idea. I’ve been trying to do this at least once a month. Maybe you’ll make June?
Louis Grays last blog post..Continuous Parallel Attention: My New Reality
Perhaps a small name that pops up a great deal? :) Though I guess different names are big to different people. Certainly I see you and your blog heavily references and you’ve been a staple “authority” in terms of the networks I’ve interacted with.
But yeah, a wider press for some of the newer, niche or less noticed blogs is well worthwhile. Some of the best bits of writing I’ve come across have lacked the audience they deserve.
Very generous offer Robin and one I’d be silly to refuse. I sent you an email regarding it to your fog of eternity address. Did you get it?
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
I love your site. :) Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I
One Trackback
[...] mentioned Louis Gray as a “big name” blog. Louis took the time to come and comment and deny that this was the case. But while Louis may not think of himself as a big name, within my personal blogging and social [...]