people recommendations

Ten for 10 in 2010 – Bloggers to Watch

As we approach the end of the year, I thought it might be fun to share Ten for 10 in 2010 ? a list of people, blogs, apps, platforms and more that I think you might enjoy checking out in 2010.

These are just personal takes and, as with any list, this is subjective so please feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments after the post.

In this final Ten for 10 in 2010 post, I look at ten bloggers that I think you’ll laugh with, learn from and more in 2010 ? I hope you enjoy.

Jackie Adkins. According to his archives, Jackie Adkins has been blogging since May 2008, yet I only “discovered” him earlier this year – I have some catching up to do. His Curbside Marketer blog is a breath of fresh air, fresh views and fresh insights into an often staid space, and his writing style keeps you interested always. A great read.
Christina Kingston. I knew Christina Kingston was already funny by the tweets we’ve shared on Twitter – what I didn’t realize is how funny she is full stop. Her blog at C.T. Kingston is sharp, biting, funny, smart, no-holds barred brilliance, and I look forward to being continuously entertained by Christina next year. I think you will too.
Kneale Mann. One of the smartest and most passionate people around, Kneale Mann is also a brilliant blogger. His One Mann’s Opinion blog is full of inspirational musings, shared wisdom, marketing smarts and general all-round good stuff about life, people and business. Simply put, Kneale should be on any blog reader’s feed.
Jim Connolly. 2009 was the year I rediscovered Jim Connolly and his fantastic Jim’s Marketing Blog. I’d already had it in my reader, but hadn’t visited as much as I should have – my loss. Jim’s blog is one of the best marketing blogs period, and he’s been knocking his posts out the park for a while now. 2010 promises much and I look forward to reading more from this fellow Brit.
Dave Fleet. I’ve admired and respected Dave Fleet for a long time now, and not just because he’s another fellow Brit! His self-named Dave Fleet blog is one of the very best PR and social media blogs around, and he’s never afraid to call things as they are – something many bloggers could learn from. Like PR and social media? Then you need to read Dave Fleet.
Lauren Fernandez. Another PR superstar, Lauren Fernandez continues to impress me in pretty much everything she does. Her LAF blog is full of insights that many other folks in PR miss, and she questions the norm every single time – the sign of a great blogger. Engaging, witty and knowledgeable, Lauren is sure to soar even higher in 2010.
Brett Borders. One of the most underrated bloggers around, Brett Borders is someone that should be on everyone’s radar. His Social Media Rockstar blog is one of the best around when it comes to delving into social media’s good, bad and ugly side. No respecter of “reputations” (as it should be), Brett is required reading for anyone interested in social media.
DJ Waldow. The Director of Community over at Blue Sky Factory, DJ Waldow carries this over to his Social Butterfly Guy blog. Offering his always wise views on social media, community, communications, marketing and more, DJ Waldow’s voice is one that’s been continuously on my reading list in 2009. Here’s to more good stuff in 2010.
Nicole D’Alonzo. One of the best things in 2009 has been seeing the rise of Nicole D’Alonzo. Tireless and selfless in her aim to make the world a better place, Niki’s Charity Moxie blog is a great mix of non-profit news, ideas, profiles and videos. If you want to know how to care more for the less fortunate, Niki’s your perfect tour guide.
John Haydon. One of my favourite bloggers around, John Haydon is a veritable treasure chest of information. Social media, marketing, non-profits, how-to guides, video blogging, musician, storyteller – John wears all these caps and more over at John Haydon. You want smarts and self-depreciation? Add John Haydon to your reader in 2010.

These are the ten bloggers that I feel everyone should know in 2010, if you don’t already. They also usher in the end of the Ten for 10 in 2010 series of posts, which hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading as much as I have putting them together.

Obviously there are many great bloggers around that we should be aware of, so please feel free to leave your favourite(s) in the comments below.

I’ll be posting a special video message for the New Year later, so hopefully you can join me for that. In the meantime, if I don’t say it enough later, have a safe and healthy 2010 and I hope you and yours have the very best of all you wish for next year and beyond.

Cheers!

The Great A-Lister Myth

Maravilla Park / Magnificos Who’s your favourite blogger? Your favourite actor or actress? Your favourite author? Comedian, musician, artist, sports star and any other medium where A-lister seems to be a well-used description?

Now ask yourself – are these people really A-listers?

So a blogger has 20,000 or 50,000 subscribers. Does that make him or her an immediate A-list blogger? Or does it just make them an A-list blogger to those 20,000+ subscribers?

Say that blogger’s content is about marketing. Or PR. Or Internet news. Or some other kind of media-related information.

Is it going to be relevant to someone who wants to read about Murray Mints? Probably not. So, to that reader, the blogger who writes about Murray Mints becomes an A-lister, because the content is meaningful for them.

Take it to other mediums. Let’s look at movies. People like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are hailed as A-listers because their movies are generally accepted to be big at the box office. But does that make them more of an A-lister than someone like Danny Boyle, whose indie movies have generally kicked the blockbuster fare into a cocked hat when it comes to substance?

The point is, A-lists and those on them are relevant to the audience. Your blog can be full of amazing content but if it means squat to me, you’re not an A-lister (at least, not to me). My A-listers are the people I learn from, or who make a difference in my day with their blogs. You can see some of these folks here. But even that’s relevant to me, and may offer little to you.

There’s nothing wrong with tagging folks A-listers. Just don’t hold them up as some sort of Holy Grail when they’re only really A-listers for their audiences.

If you want real, everyday A-listers, take a look in the mirror. You’re an A-lister and you probably don’t even know it. You work to feed your family and keep a roof over your head. You go to movies you have no interest in seeing because your kid wants to. You offer unconditional love and security to your partner when he or she needs it. That’s real A-list work right there.

What defines your A-list?

photo credit: !unite

From Twitter to Blog – #FollowFriday Vol. 6

Recently I wrote why I was moving my #followfriday recommendations from Twitter to this blog. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for this week.

I hope you check them out ? they?re all worth getting to know.

1. Community. Kim Woodbridge (@kwbridge). I use WordPress for my blog as I love the whole WordPress community, and Kim Woodbridge sums up why perfectly. Always sharing great blogging tips through her wonderfully named (Anti) Social Development blog, Kim is wise, smart and uber-friendly.

2. Ladies of Twitter. Libby Unwin (@LibbyUnwin). Libby makes me laugh. She always has a witty quip ready for you, and she’s such a “girly girl” that it’s refreshing (and I mean that in the nicest way!). She clearly loves her family and anyone that hates bad grammar but can consistently forgive my typos is always alright by me!

3. Gentlemen of Twitter. Jon Aston (@JonAston). Jon could easily fall into the Marketing category, but he truly fits into the Gentleman one. He’s a continuous source of support, inspiration, knowledge, smarts and wit. He has time for everyone, and I mean everyone, and he’s probably the best mix of a post-hippy punk you could ever meet!

4. Non-Profits. Lotay Yang (@Lotay). Some people might say that Lotay already has more than 50,000 followers so why add more. It’s not about the numbers, though, it’s the person, and Lotay is one of the best. A businessman that created the Black Card Circle Foundation, encouraging affluent business people to combine for social change, Lotay is a true leader in the non-profit field and a constant inspiration.

5. Marketing. Anne Sorensen (@marketingisus). I love Australians. They’re some of the most laid-back and friendliest folk around, after Canadians, and Anne is no exception. Yet she’s also a great marketer that founded Marketing Is Us, and is one of the best examples of marketing and new media/technology coming together.

6. Public Relations. Narciso Tovar (@Narciso). What can I say about Narciso? Okay – he’s an outstanding PR pro. He uses amazing music analogies to tell the? stories on his blog. He writes in capital first letters on Twitter (love this trick!). He is a bundle of fun and energy. He’s friendly with a capital “F”. And much, much more… Go check him out already!

7. Social Media. Sarah Evans (@PRSarahEvans). Yes, Sarah could have sat nicely in the public relations category, but for the way she’s using social media to advance PR and more, she definitely falls within social media smarts. Just look at how she’s bringing journalists, bloggers, PR and others together with #journchat as an example. Or her use of social media to raise more than $100,000 for a local shelter? Awesome.

8. The “Everyone Should Know” Wildcard Entry. Lee Safar (@leesafar). Hey, another Australian – cool! Lee is a singer/songwriter that I only recently got to know via 12for12k. She has a great sense of humour, a really cool voice, a very cheeky attitude and is quite simply a blast. Just don’t mention webcams and dial-up technology to her…

Cheers, guys, for being who you are every day of the week.

From Twitter to Blog – #FollowFriday Vol. 5

Recently I wrote why I was moving my #followfriday recommendations from Twitter to this blog. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for this week.

I hope you check them out – they’re all worth getting to know.

Community. Khayyam Wakil (@iamkhayyam). Khayyam is an outstanding person and one that just keeps on giving. He’s one of these Twitter users that shares so much and never asks for anything in return. And away from Twitter he’s a pretty fine comedian as well – what’s not to like?
Ladies of Twitter. Mickey Gomez (@mickeygomez). One of the biggest hearts around, Mickey encapsulates everything that is right not just on Twitter, but the world. She offers unconditional support if you need it and anyone that plays a mean guitar like she does and is a fan of Joss Whedon is a-ok by me!
Gentlemen of Twitter. Matt Leonard (@mjleonard). To me, Matt is the epitomone of the phrase “gentle giant”. Who knows, maybe he’s only 5-foot but he looks like a big guy! This man is all heart – he’s an Internet marketer that doesn’t push, he wants to offer everyone a way to share their voice, and to Matt, family is everything. ‘Nuff said.
Non-Profits. Gabe O’Neill (@kidsareheroes). Simply put, Gabe inspires. We talk about heroes like our favourite sportsman, or actor, or musician. Gabe, on the other hand, makes every single child a hero. He shares their inspiring stories, encourages them to change the wold, and is a downright humble and awesome guy. Gabe, you rock man!
Marketing. Brian Carter (@briancarter). If you don’t already know Brian, you’re in for a treat. Not only is he an incredibly smart marketer who’s just launched TweetROI, he’s also an inanely funny comedian-type who thinks way outside any box. Check Google for his alter-ego Larry Possum to see the madness.
Public Relations. Heather Whaling (@PRtini). Heather is one of these people that sneak up on you and you realize you’ve been constantly learning from her without even knowing. She’s an incredibly smart PR gal that runs a great personal blog, and also one of the most engagingly chatty people I know.
Social Media. Brett Borders (@BrettBorders). Brett may not be as well known as people like Chris Brogan or Jason Falls, but his social media smarts are excellent. He runs the always entertaining Social Media Rockstar blog, and anyone that can be both a reformed hippie as well as lover of ambient music has definitely got my interest.
The “Everyone Should Know” Wildcard Entry. Avatar Koo (@avatarkoo). What can I say about Avatar Koo? Umm… she’s unorthodox; incredibly funny; entertaining; writes erotic romance stories; and for one hour in June, took 12for12k into the naughty side of life. Don’t take my word for it – go check her out now!

Cheers, guys, for being who you are every day of the week.

From Twitter to Blog – #FollowFriday Vol. 4

Recently I wrote about why I was moving my #followfriday recommendations from Twitter to this blog. So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for this week.

I hope you check them out ? they?re all worth getting to know.

Community. Seth Simonds (@SethSimonds). Seth’s an interesting guy. This is someone that shed 45,000 Twitter followers so he could concentrate on a lesser number and connect better. He tries video experiments to show his community the horror of waterboarding. He consistently has amazing conversations via the comments on his blog. He’s what I call a good egg.
Ladies of Twitter. Susan Murphy (@SuzeMuse). Sue is a bona-fide all-round megastar when it comes to multi-tasking. She’s a creative genius; video editor extraordinaire; voice of non-profits; geek; and one of Ottawa’s finest beer drinkers. She’s also writer of one of the best social media blogs period, without even being tagged as social media.
Gentlemen of Twitter. Iggy Pintado (@iggypintado). Iggy is one of these cool people that doesn’t only talk about stuff, he does it. He’s one of Australia’s most connected people; he’s written a book called “Connection Generation”; he’s an incredibly savvy businessman; and he still makes time for his family. One of life’s good guys.
Non-Profits. James Topham (@Topsatwarchild). I first met James when 12for12k supported War Child in January. Not only is he passionate about non-profits, he’s as unassuming as they come, which makes him great company. He’s also a fellow Brit, has a dry sense of humour and follows Toronto FC soccer club. What’s not to like?
Marketing. Sonny Gill (@sonnygill). Sonny is one of the smartest marketers I know. And what I like about him is that he doesn’t shout it from the rooftops. He shares great reads in his blog; he’s as sharp as a card on Twitter; and he and fellow marketer Scott Hepburn helped pay to fly a friend out to a networking event. Awesome.
Public Relations. Arik Hanson (@arikhanson). Speaking of flying out to a networking event, it was Arik who was that very person. Yet it was well deserved – Arik used his PR skills and networking to help land Sonny and Scott new jobs with communication firms. He’s also one of the most understated and underrated PR pro’s out there, and the founder of the Reader’s Choice PR Blogger Awards.
Social Media. Mark Horvarth (@hardlynormal). Mark could easily have sat in the non-profit choice, but I really like the way he’s using social media. He’s telling the story of homeless people through video, blogging and Twitter. He’s offering them a voice and allowing you to speak to them through him. THAT, my friends, is creative social media at its finest.
The “Everyone Should Know” Wildcard Entry. Michael Schechter (@mschechter). This guy is a star. He makes me laugh like a pig in mud whenever he starts ripping into my character. He’s a devoted dad and husband, is uber-friendly, and simply put one of these people that anyone would be better off for having him as a friend.

Cheers, guys, for being who you are every day of the week.