Archive for Blogs We Love – Page 2

Get Inspired, Write Better…A List of Great Ego Blogs

Big-head
I really like using Alltop.com to find blogs in niches. But recently I discovered a different category through their aggregated lists of top blogs… personalities, or as they call them, Egos!

I have no idea what their requirement is to get listed as an Ego blog, but looking at the individuals who are included, I'd say these are all big names in the Blogosphere and they have big readership followings.

Heck, some even have big heads, but for sure, they all write with larger than life personalities.

It's worth studying their blogs to learn the ways they write and include their personalities. These blogs are completely different, in various fields of expertise. But they are all strong personalities.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Folks, I could go on and on, but you make your own list of great blogs to read so you get the kind of inspiration you need for writing better blogs and newsletters. I didn't put on my list the more famous people in this category, people like Seth Godin, Donald Trump, Mark Cuban, Robert Scoble. They are also excellent.

These people all know how to write well, adding their authentic personalities into their posts. I believe we all have it in us to write just as well, if we study people who do it and do what they do, only in a way is true to our own styles, remaining authentic.

Coach & Consultant Marketing: An Interview with John Agno

Johnagno
As a follow up to my post about using keywords to get organic search results from writing on the web, I want to show you an example of an independent professional who is getting great results from his content marketing, John Agno.

Nothing speaks louder than someone who "gets it." John has been using quality content to generate search results, get known, get found, and attract great clients on the Web.

I met John at a coach training event way back, oh, it must have been in 2000, I think. He consistently provides quality content and information that serves to build his credibility and expertise, and build relationships with readers and clients.

I interviewed John and share his words of wisdom here. Please take some time to check out his blogs and subscribe to his newsletter.

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Top Content Marketing Blogs – we made the list!

Junta42_top_blog
We made the list of Top Blogs for Content Marketing again this quarter. Thanks, Joe Pulizzi, of Junta42 for keeping us informaed about the importance of content for successful business strategies. This blog went from 25th position to 19.

Getcontent
I highly recommend you check out the blogs on this list and learn more about how to write content that connects and builds relationships with your customers.

For more on the whole concept of content marketing, be sure to get and read Joe and Newt Barrett’s book, Get Content, Get Customers. It’s a must read.

Blog Contest: We face off against Men with Pens

Arm_wrestling_business_vs_sports
What’s a little blond girl to do when her blog faces off in a match-up contest against the big bad Men with Pens?

We’re being judged in a fabulous contest that pits two blogs against each other, mano-a-mano. This is the brain child of John Hewitt at Writers Resource Center that was hatched as part of a March Madness event.

We’ll I’m not racing off to bake cookies for the judges. What you see is what you get. I didn’t even change out of my jammies and slippers.

I’m a little concerned though, cuz even though Denise and I dish out blog critiques to our clients, it’s hard to take a dose of your own medicine. Here are some of the points this blog will be matched up against those big guys Harry and James, the Men with Pens

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Video Clips: Content delivery made easy

Flipvideo
Denise and I both own Flip video cameras and have blogged about how we use it to interview people whenever we’re at a seminar. This really makes creating valuable content for your blog easy.

Now, I hear a lot of accomplished speakers complain about how they’d rather speak than write…actually they say they’d rather get a root canal than write…but here’s a way to make creating content fun and easy: record a tip using your keywords and post it on your blog.

It’s so easy even I can do it. (Of course, it helps that Denise is handy at editing and adding the URLs), but even so, the Flip is easy because the software is contained inside the camera which plugs into your computer USB port. You can even edit as soon as you plug it in. No downloads required. Just follow the steps, upload to your account on YouTube, grab the code and copy and paste into your blog.

Take a look at the way we interviewed other professionals at Adam Urbanski’s Info Profits Success Intensive last week. Denise is posting them every day over at her BizTipsBlog. Hear what smart people like Adam, and Joe Nunziata have to say… 

Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs – Why this is such a smart marketing strategy

Gold20starthumb
Do you know any blogs about content marketing, or writing content for business? Joe Pulizzi, whose blog Junta 42 promotes writing great content, has opened nominations for the Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs.

Some of the nominated blogs may be included in his book to be published in 2008, Get Content, Get Customers.

"The team here at Junta42 is compiling a list of the top 42 blogs that focus on some aspect of content marketing – that is helping marketers/businesses create and deliver valuable, relevant and consistent content."

Pay attention to this whole blog nomination process: this is one of the most astute marketing strategies around. Why? Because of the following factors:

  1. Opening up a blog post for nominations will drive traffic to his blog
  2. In sort of a viral way, people who have never heard of his blog before will tell their friends about it
  3. Joe will get to know more good blog authors and form relationships with them
  4. Joe will get new material for his book
  5. Readers will be more informed and curious, and will want to buy the book when it comes out

Smart marketing means paying attention to those people who get it right, and then doing what they do as well or sometimes even better.

I suppose the same can be said of smart writing. Next time you read a piece that’s good, keep it and learn from it.

In the mean time, if you think this blog does a good job of promoting good content, why don’t you visit Junta42 and nominate it? I’m not too proud to ask!

Horn-Tootin’ Friday: We make the “W List” and the “Execution Excellence” Hall of Fame

Backtobacktorsodp
This week Denise and I were honored on several lists for our Blog Squad services and blogging:

Thanks so much to Toby Bloomberg of Diva Marketing for adding Build a Better Blog to the W List of women bloggers, and to Susan Getgood for her comprehensive list of wonderful women bloggers. Now if only being on the ‘W List’ gave us rooms at The W… but, hey, I’m just grateful to be in such good company.

And to put icing on the cake, our dear colleague from waaay across the pond and down under, Ian Campbell initiated his blog’s Valu-Kudos "Execution Excellence" Hall of Fame by naming The Blog Squad as his first inductee!

Wow, I am so flattered! Part of me wants to say "We’re not worthy of all that," but then the other part of me says "You bet!" and wins out: I will brazenly re-publish his  glowing testimonial here:

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Blogs for Writers

Thanks to John Hewitt for publishing a list of blogs for writers. There are many good blogs on his list, including this one, and a few I am not familiar as yet.

How many of these bloggers do you read?

  • Anne Wayman: Anne runs one of my favorite writing sites, which both offers original advice and keeps track of what the other blogs are saying.

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Blog Writing Refined & Defined with the Copyblogger

Brian_clark
Everybody loves Brian. Brian Clark’s Copyblogger blog made a big splash in 2006, and he continues to help bloggers elevate their writing no matter what niche they’re in. His mission: to educate bloggers how copywriting skills can help business blog writing.

He’s clearly succeeding. In the first year of his blog he reached 10,000 subscribers. In the second year, 20,000.

We interviewed Brian for our Internet radio show on Blog Talk Radio, Blogging and Beyond. You can listen here.

A few nuggets: when you’re starting a blog you need a strategy. Blogging isn’t advertising in the old sense but in the new sense. You must have a unique perspective and find new ways to convey that message.

You must reach out to others to find out what they want and need, and create relationships with potential partners in your field. When you have something worth talking about, you’ll be noticed in your niche. You will shine. You gain attention by linking out to others.

Even if you’ve already been blogging for a while, I strongly urge you to visit his blog today and read his Blueprint for a Brilliant Blog Launch. It contains three elements for building readership for your blog that you can apply at any point in your blog’s life cycle.

And of course, all of his content is good on copywriting, headlines, and other tips for good blog writing.

Best Writing Blogs Listed

I didn’t get an Academy nomination either, even though I am the best drama queen in my family, according to The Hubby. CoachEzines blog didn’t make this list, but that’s okay, we’re happy with our own little audience of faithful readers.

What these lists of Best Blogs always do for me (and should for you too), is make me aware of good content out there available to read and study. I didn’t know about some of these blogs, and will go there now to see what I’m missing.

Of course, Brian Clark’s Copyblogger comes in #1, and we couldn’t agree more. Here’s the list, from Michael Stelzner of Writing White Papers the best blogs for writers:

  1. Brian Clark’s CopyBlogger
  2. Deborah Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs
  3. Tom Chandler’s Copywriter Underground
  4. Liz Strauss’s Successful-Blog
  5. Angela Booth’s Writing Blog
  6. Kristen King’s InkThinker
  7. Anne Wayman’s The Golden Pencil
  8. Carson Brackney’s Content Done Better
  9. Dianna Huff’s B2B Marcom Writer Blog
  10. Allison Winn Scotch’s Ask Allison

The question to you, my dear readers, is this: what other blogs do you love? Please share so that we can broaden our reading horizons. They don’t have to be about writing; please nominate your favorites that you recommend others like you should be reading.