I don’t keep a whole lot in my feed reader, only 16 blogs to be exact. There’s a number of other blogs that I have book marked and read the content I feel is interesting, intriguing and pertinent to my life and what I am currently interested in, but only the 15 which I read virtually every single post. Each of those 15 blogs serves a purpose in my marketing and blogging pursuits.
Chances are if you’re reading my blog you’re already very familiar with all of these blogs, but hopefully I’ll share some that are new to you, resonate with you, and provide value to your life. If that’s the case, please let me know. Did I introduce you someone you weren’t familiar with?
Brazen Careerist (Penelope Trunk) – I like Penelope because she is the queen of authenticity and transparency. There’s some of her stuff that’s hard for me to relate to, but she reminds me that it’s cool yourself, and to not give a rip what your detractors think. If you’re Gen Y and you’re looking for the personal stuff, Holly Hoffman is almost as good and appeals more to Gen Y in that sense.
Chris Brogan – Simply put, my go-to-guy when I want to know anything about social media. He’s a master conversationalist and I puts out more content than anyone in my feed reader. I love the mix of short quips, with the feature posts. Most importantly for me, the full-length feature posts are always actionable. I also follow Chris to become better at starting conversations on my own blog.
Conversation Agent – Ricardo Bueno first introduced me to Valeria’s blog, and I really enjoy it. I will admit though that occasionally I get behind reading her stuff because her posts are consistently day in and day out the longest of anyone I’m subscribed to. Her posts always stimulate me to thinking in-depth about the conversations she’s facilitating; it is just that I don’t always have the time I’d like to digest them all in a syntopical fashion all the time. [Side note: Most of my posts are too long aren’t they?]
Copyblogger – I genuinely believe that since I started reading Brian Clark I’ve become a better writer. He always has a very interesting way of thinking about things (see: Lateral Action) that for whatever reason really resonates with me, and judging by his subscriber count I’m not the only one.
Gary Vaynerchuk – This guy is on fire, and it takes watching one of his 2 minute clips to see why. Stop reading this right now, and go watch his Web 2.0 keynote in NYC right now. Seriously. I’m waiting. I don’t usually like video because I watch 8 minutes to get 4 solid tidbits, but Gary V keeps his videos short and always delivers. And his passion, it’s really contagious.
Influential Marketing – Rohit’s blog (along with Mitch Joel’s and David Armano’s) are two relatively new additions to my feedreader. Influential Marketing isn’t my one stop shop for anything the way many of these blogs are, but I really appreciate Rohit’s reflection and insight into marketing strategy.
Lateral Action – This is the brainchild of Brian Clark (Copyblogger), Tony Clark and Mark McGuinness (Wishful Thinking) and is one of the more innovative projects I’ve seen online. They have a great concept going (Creativity + Productivity = Success) and facilitate conversation surrounding this thought process featuring three unique characters Lou, Jack and Marla.
Logic + Emotion – My favorite part about David Armano’s site is that the stuff he posts is almost always something new, something innovative. A lot of bloggers chatter about what’s already out there, but David always brings new perspective and an interesting way of thinking of things (i.e. his sketches). Plus he’s not quite as active as other “big” marketing bloggers so he’s easier to keep up with.
Personal Branding Blog – Dan is a stand up guy and I definitely consider him somewhat of a mentor. It might surprise him, but I usually much prefer the content he writes than all the interviews he conducts. But either way, he’s providing me with value, and he’s go-to-guy when it comes to personal branding. I’m excited for the debut of his new book Me 2.0.
Problogger – What Brian Clark is for my writing, Darren Rowse is for my blogging. He consistently provides the best tips for becoming a better blogger. I especially like his content about tangible ways to increase your reach and subscriber count. In terms of sheer numbers, he might be most responsible for helping me grow this blog.
Seth’s Blog – I had the fortunate pleasure of interning with Seth this summer, and the amount of stuff you can learn from this guy is outrageous. He’s the best at taking real world examples and making them make sense while staying just ambiguous enough to make you think for yourself. I love that his posts are typically short because my time is valuable, yet I can count on Seth for a key message everytime.
Twist Image – I started reading Mitch’s blog pretty consistently after reading his social media marketing best practices meme. Not only does he have a very engaging and informative weekly podcast, but his blog is written from the perspective of someone who ‘gets’ digital media, new media, and social media marketing.
Web Strategy (by Jeremiah) – One of my favorite things Jeremiah Owyang does is his weekly digest of the social networking space. It’s a great summation of all the news, happenings, and people in new jobs. As an analyst for Forrester, he also brings a little bit different approach sharing the results of some of his studies. It’s fascinating stuff from a different perspective than most of the stuff I typically read, plus apparently he could give me a challenge in fantasy football (though I don’t honestly believe that).
Am I in your feed reader? If not, and you like the content I’ve been providing I’d love for you to subscribe. If you do, shoot me an e-mail and introduce yourself and let me know what you’d like to see on this blog in the future. I have some cool things planned!
When you are alerted of a new article, you can click on a link that will take you directly to it. Marketing Strategy
I subscribe to many more than 15, but in my “Best” folder are –
Brazen Careerist by P. Trunk
Dooce
Employee Evolution
Gary Vaynerchuk
Ill Doctrine
Next Generation Consulting by Rebecca Ryan
Conversation Agent by Valeria Maltoni
Creative Class by Richard Florida
Conversation Starter on Harvard Business
So, some new, some the same 🙂
@Rebecca – I wish I could bring myself to subscribe to all the fascinating blogs I try to read and interact with. Most of what I subscribe to is “big name” bloggers, and I feel bad for leaving my peers, and friends out, but I try and read virtually every post that enters my feed reader and I just don’t have time to do that if I subscribe to much more.
Like I mentioned, I do keep various folders of bookmarked blogs that I try to check 2-3 times a week and comment and participate on the things that resonate with me. A lot of my fellow Brazen blogs are that way.
Maybe that’s the wrong approach, maybe I should just subscribe to everything I like and pick and choose my favorites, but if I find something I like from a blog not in my reader I make sure I add it to my del.icio.us bookmarks and include it in my “Top posts for Insert Month Here.”
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll have to check out Rebecca Ryan, I’m not familiar with her stuff.
Hi, Ryan. I’m glad to be one of the bloggers you read sometimes.
My reader has slowly grown to 108 blogs, and that’s just way too many. In the beginning, it’s easy to subscribe to lots of blogs, but the more you add, the more discriminating you have to be, unless you have unlimited free time.
I’m sad to have to make some cuts, but it’s got to be done. This is one of the reasons I think people shouldn’t post too much: when you need to make cuts, it’s easier to hang on to the ones that don’t take up a lot of your time.
@ Hunter – I just recently got acquainted with your content via Jonathan Mead’s Push Me group, and I’m glad I have. I have thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve read thus far and look forward to keeping up with your content.
If I had 108 blogs in my reader, I would feel guilty about not being able to pay them the attention I felt they deserved. I frequently prune and make adjustments to my reader. Just the other day I got rid of a couple of -great- blogs just because they didn’t fit me as well anymore and I added Twist Image, Influential Marketing, Logic + Emotion, and Lateral Action.
Good luck making the cuts, I go through entire compensatory models sometimes trying to decide who to cut.
Thanks for contributing to the discussion.
Honored to be on your list, Ryan. Thank you. A little secret about my blog is that each week is one conversation. So you get to look at it at the end of the week and see the big picture. I tend to write mostly on weekends and tend to connect information naturally. I know there often isn’t time to read everything, so I appreciate the effort. I appreciate it even more given that my posts are, as you put it so well, demanding.
Imagine what it’s like being me! Kidding. My friends have gotten used to my pondering, and I can have a great sense of humor. In my third year, I am planning to post more directly actionable material, case studies, and let my hair down with fun stuff more frequently. Thanks also to feedback from great professionals like you.
@ Valeria – I LOVE that your posts are so demanding. There are so few blogs that can really engage you and challenge you to want to digest all the information, delve into the conversation and become a participant.
I suspect it’s one of the primary reasons I enjoy your blog so much, but yeah, it’s definitely hard to read it the way I -want- to read it due to the nature of my schedule.
I’ll certainly be on the look out for some of the unique stuff you plan on posting in your third year.
Thanks so much for stopping by. It’s an honor having you contribute!
Ryan,
You have a lot of good stuff in our feed-reader 🙂 It looks to me like we’re wandering in the same circles.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading Valeria’s blog and that you’ve both had the opportunity to connect. She’s been a great resource and a great source of inspiration!
Now, here’s another individual that I’d like to introduce you to: Jason Falls
You can find him at: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com
I don’t mean to pour on more reading material but Jason really is great! I mean it!
I’ll talk to you soon!
@ Ricardo – Aside from the fact that the only mortgage/real estate blogs I read are yours and Daniel Martin’s I suspect our social media influences are very similar.
After enjoying your last recommendation so much I’ll be sure and check out Jason’s site. I’m familiar with his work, and even watched an interview that he did just the other day, but haven’t really delved into his blog. I’m definitely looking forward to becoming acquainted.
For another fellow Texan blog, check out Church of the Customer, http://www.churchofthecustomer.com/
@ Peter Kim – I have read Ben and Jackie’s blog for quite some time and they’ve definitely been on the cusp of entering my feed reader for quite some time. I don’t know why I haven’t made the leap (considering I read them so often), but after your endorsement (which is really more confirmation than anything) I suspect I can add one more blog without being too overwhelmed.
Thanks! I’m really thankful to have made your list!
@ Jeremiah – It’s a testament to your hard work and great content! I’m thankful for both of those!
Ryan — thanks for the thoughtful post and for including Lateral Action in such esteemed company
If you’re looking for recommendations I’ve learned a huge amount from Presentation Zen, a really solid educational blog. And the book is an excellent summary of Garr Reynolds approach. http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/
And an excellent recent discovery is Dave Trott’s blog, written by the advertising creative director: http://cstadvertising.com/blog/