I love reading blogs. I get a lot of great information from sites like Lifehacker, Lifehack.org, and Slacker Manager. There is always something new to learn or some new gadget or software to try out. These sites make blogging very useful. I may be the first to know about the latest technology with posts from Gina, Leon, and Bren.
In the business field I love to read Rosa’s blog, Talking Story, and routinely check in with members of her Ho’ohana community. Her offshoot blog, Joyful Jubilant Learning is now a daily staple. I have to check in from time to time with Steve Pavlina and see how he is doing on his latest adventure. He may be polyphasically sleeping, getting off coffee, or leading a blogging workshop.
Three of the hardest working bloggers are always amazing me with their tenacity and great posts. Dwayne Melancon of Genuine Curiosity comes up with the best tips for business travel, while Troy Worman keeps up on at least 100 bloggers and Phil Gerbyshak is determined to make it a great day for everyone.
While all of these blogs are on my daily RSS feed, three blogs have surfaced recently that fit into a little different niche. They all provide great content but they all have something else in common. They are all entertainers. I would like to highlight each one of them so you can join me in enjoying their humor and enlightenment.
The Raspy Humorist
When you first visit 43 folders, you’ll find many articles on personal productivity and time management. The whole site and the name are based around David Allen’s wildly popular book “Getting Things Done“. But there is something else that quickly becomes apparent. The writing is humorous and relates to real life situations. Author Merlin Mann has a dry wit and an amazing way with words. I love his stuff, because he writes about really serious things but puts them into the situational humor of everyday life.
But even better than his writing are his podcasts. Most are short commentaries on life and all are laugh out loud funny. His quick pace and use of metaphors really add to the entertainment value. You can subscribe on iTunes or from his site.
The Master SOB
I received an e-mail a while back stating that I was an SOB. At first I was offended… who was this Liz Strauss and how dare she call me an SOB? I looked a little further and a smile quickly came over my face. She had actually called me a Successful & Outstanding Blogger, which was a great compliment.
Liz writes daily on her Successful-Blog and is the master collaborator. She publishes a weekly newsletter and does one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen done with a blog… she turns hers into a chat-room every Tuesday night. Her newsletter comes out every Tuesday morning and she publicizes her Tuesday open-mic night. Many of her readers join in the fun. She routinely gets over 300 comments in one evening to her blog. The link love from Technorati and Google is amazing.
The Dynamic Duo
Podcasting is a new phenomenon and many of the ‘casts I listen to are from one person. Podcasts are like listening to the radio and many of them have good information but the audio may be less than appealing. Some have poor audio quality and others are monotone and monotonous. But there is a shiny star in this new medium. Authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba of the Church of the Customer blog have great chemistry together creating one of the liveliest podcasts on iTunes.
Ben is the serious one, and Jackie is the Sparkplug. While their marketing and word of mouth podcasts offer great information, the interaction between the two provides great entertainment. These two really should be on the radio with a daily broadcast. They are that good!
Conclusion… while blogging is great as a learning and information medium, be sure not to miss the entertainment value. Bookmark these sites and make sure to download their free podcasts from iTunes on your iPod so you can take them with you wherever you go.
Technorati Tags: podcast, customer evangelism, lifehack
