As the year end approaches, I would like to give you my pick for the top 5 blogs of the year. These are blogs that have personally made a difference in my life, and I’m sure if you become a fan, will make a difference in yours.
The authors are real people with real life experiences and real comments. Their blogs are easy to navigate and their content will make you think. You may not always agree with them but you’ll always find them engaging. Without further ado… here are my top 5 blog picks for 2009.
1. Michael Hyatt: Leading With Purpose
Michael is a very accomplished blogger. As the CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers, he sits in the seat of leadership on a daily basis. From this seat he has a corporate view that many of us will never see, and yet his blog is one of the most personable and down to earth sites that I have come across.
What Michael does is tie in incredible content with daily Twitter updates. His blog has just been redesigned and presents a clean, easy to navigate interface. His latest tweet is at the top right, alongside a scrolling box of his top ten featured posts. Underneath is his latest post, usually filled with insightful comments.
Michael has over 60,000 followers on Twitter, and if you become one, will take you on a personal journey through his life. His wife Gail and even his dog are also on Twitter, which gives you a real life view of his family. But content is king, and Michael has some of the best. Here are three must read articles…
1. Four Things Your People Need In Tough Times
3. The Beginners Guide to Twitter
If you want to change your life for the better in 2010, spend some time on this site and become part of the conversation. If you are a writer, Michael’s insight on the publishing arena is amazing. As a new author this year I found his blog to be very helpful in appraising my publishing options.
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2. Seth Godin
I have followed Seth for many years and have read many of his books. The reason he is in my top 5 is simple… he thinks differently than anybody else that I know. Seth has an uncanny view of marketing, business, and life in general and he shares his insights in short, pithy posts that you can read in minutes.
It these posts that will make you think. I guarantee that if you spend some time here you will come away with insights that can improve your business, radically change your marketing, and give you a view of the world that you will not find anywhere else.
Here are three posts that may turn your thinking upside down…
3. How Far Away Is Your Future?
And while you are on his site make sure to download his free PDF e-book, What Matters Now with the thoughts of 70 top thinkers around the world.
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3. Chris Brogan
If you want to know about Social Media, you need to know Chris Brogan.
Simple, Period, End of Story.
Chris takes this new world of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and makes it real. He explains how to do this stuff in a simple and easy to follow manner. That is why he has over 40,000 readers on Feedburner and 115,000 followers on Twitter.
But unlike some other people in the social media realm, Chris has not abandoned blogging. Just the opposite in fact, as his blog is the focal point of his teaching empire. His content contains many great titles, but here are three of his best…
1. Wiring Yourself for Success
3. My Best Advice About Social Networking
While following Chris on his blog will help you get a grip on Social Media, his new book, Trust Agents, while get you up to speed fast.
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If you have to speak in public or give presentations, Six Minutes is a must on your blog reading list. This site is a treasure trove of step by step articles on preparing a speech, PowerPoint presentations, and giving effective evaluations.
If you are a Toastmaster, you’ll find helpful articles on all facets of speaking from someone who has been there. Andrew Dlugan has taught speaking courses, conducted seminars, coached speakers, and emceed events. He is an award-winning public speaker and speech evaluator.
What makes this site so good is its organization and helpful downloads. It has a well laid out front page with speech critiques, book reviews, and video links. If you are giving a presentation, his helpful checklist will make sure you are prepared.
As Andrew says… Proper preparation prevents presentation predicaments!
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5. Rosa Say: Joyful Jubilant Learning
I owe my blogging Career to Rosa Say. Back in 2005 she helped many people get started blogging with encouragement from her personal blog, Managing With Aloha. She started a loose-knit success community called the Ho’ohana Community. She picked up my blog as one of her participants, and that really opened a huge door for me.
Over the years she has expanded her community of lifelong learners and started a collaboration blog called, Joyful Jubilant Learning in October of 2006. This blog includes contributions from many popular bloggers including, Dwayne Melancon, Phil Gerbyshak, and Karen Wallace to name a few.
This is by far and away one of the best learning sites on the internet, with book reviews, rapid fire learning, and personal contributions.
This is a great site to bookmark and check in on a weekly basis. You’ll never know what new tidbit of learning advice you will find.
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In recent years Blogging has taken a backseat to other social media like Twitter and Facebook. While these are great tools, they really cannot replace a blog as a source of structured and important content. You can’t write a complete article in 140 characters as the limit is in Twitter or fully connect with people while competing with their grandkids pictures in Facebook.
A blog still stands as the best source of personal and relevant articles, and the five blogs above will deliver some of the best content on the web. In 2009, blogs are more important than ever!
Even Time Magazine Thinks So!
Time Magazine’s Top 25 Blogs of 2009
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- The Power of 48 Min
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- Five Minute Dieteer
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Happy New Year!
Have a great 2010
John Richardson
Question: Which sites are on your top 5 blogs list?
