9 great blogs I enjoy reading & find inspirational . . .

While some are switching off from the Blogosphere, turning their attention to the micro-blogging world supported by platforms such as Twitter, I still believe there is great value to be had from the blog format.

Blogs allow for more detailed analysis of subject matter, or a great opportunity to express a belief or share a concept. Developing and building on a brand with rich search engine friendly content.

There are a number of blogs that I value highly as resources of information, interesting news and opinion, visiting them all frequently.

After writing Digital Signals for a while now, I appreciate the commitment required to maintain a blog on a regular basis, the below is homage to some of my favourite ports of call.


Chris Brogan

You'd struggle to know anything about social media and the value it can bring to clients, corporations and individuals alike, without encountering the name Chris Brogan.

I've never met Chris, although I've spoken on-line with him a few times, but every time I read his blog it inspires me, not only with his personal knowledge, but also his friendly approach.

Chris seems to deal with the application of his knowledge and the sharing of his experience in a very open, honest, but direct fashion. Something I relate to with my own preferred approach to work.


The Future Buzz - Adam Singer

Adam Singer writes a great blog about a variety of subjects, many of which are not dissimilar to Digital Signals.

His exposure through his work for Pierson Grant PR gives him great insight to the fast moving digital industry. Adam covers stories relating to creative inspiration through to business acumen. I always find his blog very inspirational.


Blah, blah! Technology - Wayne Smallman

Wayne runs a home grown UK blog, attached to his business Octane Interactive.

Wayne's investigations reach the far corners of the application of technology to the society we all live in, and the world we inhabit.

His writing is thoughtful and thought provoking, creating investigations of your own from the spark he fires with his blog posts. Running his own digital & social media business ensures Wayne's writing stays cutting edge and covers detailed technical posts, through to conversational community observations.


TheFutureisRed

I've only been reading The Future is Red for short while if I'm honest, but honesty is one of the things that has driven me to include the blog in this post.

Written pre-dominantly by Leigh Shulman, with influences via her partner and their daughter, Leigh covers everything from travel to writing. Leigh highlights the social aspect that blogging offers perfectly, providing great user engagement.

Now living in Salta, Argentina, with her family, a place I've stayed in for short while myself. Leigh brings stories from a remote landscape, full with intense accuracy that encourages you to read more.


Social Media Explorer - Jason Falls

If you could call anyone social media experts, Jason Falls and Chris Brogan, are the two names that I wouldn't hesitate to mention. There's plenty of debate out there about whether you can get a expert in the field, well Jason and Chris do a great job of answering that question.

Jason is again, direct, honest, freely expressing his opinion without fear of any comeback. His approach is refreshing and yet engaging. Every time I've spoke to Jason online, he has been helpful and friendly.

All of these attributes are those that, in my opinion, make social media experts. While some can learn the technical functionality of social media, the conversational and engagement elements take specific personal characteristics. His insight is invaluable.


Regular Geek - Rob Diana

Rob writes a blog that is quite often technical in focus, but from a web application perspective. He's fully versed in the recent growth of the web app market, and also all of the social media platforms that are now so popular.

Unlike the blogs that have so far been listed, Rob's technical prowess adds a value to his blog content that is excellent and somewhat unique in the social media community.

He knows the inner workings of web applications and is able to spot issues with emerging applications, as much as he able to identify a great user interface. Well worth subscribing to.


Seth Godin

Seth Godin's blog is renowned, Seth runs a hugely popular blog with a vast readership.

His posts are now short and succinct and yet he manages to convey excellent content each time he posts. His visionary insight on the workings of the human mind and our ability to act in certain ways under certain conditions is superb.

He hasn't embraced the new popular love for Twitter and doesn't have an account, as far as I know, instead he has kept his focus on his blog and his booking writing. His posts remain insightful and excellent in quality.


Project Shrink - Bas de Baar

Baas runs a blog about project management. He focusses on the human element of project management and delivery, something I agree with.

The main focus of my work is still digital project management. When I found Baas's blog it was thoroughly rewarding to read the high quality and insightful content that is published on the blog.

Baas himself is more than happy to debate project management approaches and his responses illustrate an expertise that has been gained through experience, rather than reading the latest book on the subject matter. If you want help/insight on production delivery, Baas's blog is a must.


Chris Garrett

Chris is one of the leading lights in online media marketing in the UK, although he's actually Canadian by birth. Offering consultancy in blogging, internet marketing and all aspects of online brand development.

He's vastly capable in just about all aspects of online media with a healthy biography to his name, including books about blogging as well as technical references.

Alongside Chris's ability to write concisely and expertly about a number of online subject matters, he is also a very pleasant and approachable individual that is usually more than happy to respond to you directly.


I am sure I will do another similar post in future about great blogs as I see plenty of life left in the blog format, as I've spoken about before.

There are so many good blogs out there to read, my aim is to make this one of them. The people above write very successful blogs and can be an inspiration to many, no matter what your blogging or blog reading purpose is.

This isn't, however, a definitive list of great blogs, and there are many more that I read on a regular basis that I haven't included above.

If there's another blog you want to share with me, drop a link to it in the comments and I'll endeavour to check it out.

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