In this edition of “Masters Of The Web”, I asked a really tough question. I did not realize just how tough it was until I went to answer it myself. Plus I had a couple of surprises when I got answers from those who contributed to this post.
“What was your favorite post in 2010? This can be your own post, someone elses’ or both”.
Ask My “Web Gal”, Deb Augur
Though it’s extremely difficult to choose a favorite blog post from 2010, I’ve narrowed it down to one that became the most influential for me. I’m sure many of you may have come across Darren Rowse of ProBlogger fame and his “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” challenge. It has had a huge impact on thousands of bloggers.
It was in March 2010 when I stumbled on a guest post on ProBlogger about the challenge. I was immediately intrigued and decided to give it a try. The workbook isn’t free (it’s $19.95) but I can honestly say, anyone that takes on this challenge is bound to greatly improve their blog and attract more readers. Well worth the small price.
Along with the challenge I received an email from Darren every day helping me along. It was a terrific learning experience that resulted in many “Aha!” moments. (Gotta love it when that happens!)
If you want to be really good at something, such as blogging, it certainly behooves you to pay attention to what successful people are doing and learn from them. For this reason, I subscribe to a lot of blogs written by people I admire. Some are great writers that tell stories — keeping me glued to the page. Others are terrific teachers covering strategies, tips and techniques that help me stay abreast of developments in my industry. Still others are trend setters, a very important thing to watch inside the ever-changing web. All of them have contributed greatly to my knowledge and abilities.
All in all, I must say … Bloggers Rock. They are a special breed in my book. And remember, blogging is all about conversation — what you have to say in the comments counts, too.
Deb Augur, Web Developer
Blog: http://mywebgal.com/blog
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mywebgal
The WordPress Guy, Mike Paetzold
This sounds like an easy topic to contribute to until you actually look around.
There have been a ton of great blog posts that I have found this year and picking one has been a problem.
On my blog, WordPress Made Easy, I do a week end wrap up of the 3 blog posts that caught my attention that week. Sometimes it is hard to get down to just three for the week, so getting to one for the year has been really tough.
All of that being said my favorite post came from Tristan at Blogging Bookshelf and was titled “The Bloggers ULTIMATE Guide To Google Tools and Services” My round up post: Sunday Weekly Goodies – December 12, 2010.
As I stated when I featured the post, it is more a small report than a blog post.
Google has so many different tools that are of value to bloggers that it was great to find one place that listed all of them. That is why it gets my vote for blog post of the year and a strong recommendation that you bookmark it and use the tools.
Did think about adding in my favorite blog post of my own for this year but trying to do that would be like trying to pick which of my children I liked the best. A definite no win situation and something that changes day to day even though you try never to pick favorites
Mike Paetzold
Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/mikepaetzold
The Caffeine Powered- Techie, Michelle Shaeffer
My own favorite posts on my blog this year (and the most popular were):
http://michelleshaeffer.com/10-things-you-can-do-in-10-minutes-each-to-move-your-business-forward/2010/06/26/
http://michelleshaeffer.com/10-more-things-you-can-do-in-10-minutes-each-to-move-your-business-forward/2010/07/05/I love these because they were something I needed as well as something helpful to my readers. Easy and quick ways to market or connect with people.
Trying to narrow down one favorite post from another blog is challenging! I don’t think I could even pick one favorite blog for the year… But since you asked, I’ll try… here are some recent ones I’ve loved/connected with/found value in.
- On success: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/that-sense-of-overnight-success/
- Getting past business fears: http://www.thelaunchcoach.com/business-confidence
- Honesty in sales: http://www.yourwordsyourvoice.com/sometimes-making-the-sale-is-the-worst-thing-you-could-do/
- Writing better content: http://www.copyblogger.com/scannable-content/
Michelle Shaeffer
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MichelleShaeffr
Blog: http://michelleshaeffer.com
You can still get free holiday gifts for your business! http://smallbizchristmas.com
(Michelle is a co-sponsor of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It is not to late to join and give your blog a big boost.)
Abnormal Marketing Expert, Fiona Bosticky
Thank you for the kind offer. But after racking my brain, there was not a single blog post from 2010 that stuck in my mind. I’ve read 1,000s of blog posts this year, and to choose one, would be just impossible.
But I am happy to choose one of my favourite bloggers for 2010.
When I formally launched my blog and my business in March 2010, I drew much inspiration from her posts. Her name is Melanie Kissell and her blog is http://www.melaniekissell.com.
Her honest and simple approach to Online Marketing has really helped me, and her blog is full of so many amazing posts for 2010, it would be tricky just to pick one.
So here are a couple I enjoyed:
- Selling to People Who Aren’t Even Shopping
- Turn Your Own Mess Into Your Marketing Message
- Best Way To Communicate With Your Audience
Melanie’s superb conversation style and embedded wit, always makes for an entertaining and educational read.
Now, back to the home turf. My favourite post for 2010 is:
Excerpt:
“I thought this might be a question that is a little too obvious to ask, but since we are in the marketing business, I thought it best to define the definition that we use. Even though marketing has been around for 100 years, and become very mainstream over the past 10 years, there is still a lot of misconception about the true meaning.”
I chose this post because:
Out of every other blog, this post has generated the most ongoing discussion and debate than any other post I’ve written. I shared the post on LinkedIn, and even today, many people on LinkedIn are still discussing this post and topic.
Also this post, really took me back to basics, which every business or blogger needs to do sometimes.
Best Regards
Fiona
Blog: http://www.abnormalmarketing.com/
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abnormalmarket
My Favorite Blog Posts for 2011
I had a hard time narrowing it down too. I ended up with a list of 11 posts to choose from.
Deb, the 31 day blog challenge is a must for every blogger.
Mike, I never miss stopping by your blog for the weekly round up. I also found Tristans’ post on Google very helpful.
Fiona, I am so glad you picked Melanies blog. It is one of my favorite blogs too. She is one of the most fluent bloggers I have ever read. Thanks!
Michelle, I had narrowed my favorite posts by others down to 3. Believe it or not, your two posts: Ten Things To Do In Ten Minutes To Move Your Business and Ten More Things To Do In Ten Minutes To Move Your Business Forward are fabulous posts. They have information I use all the time. Like when I have just ten minutes before I go to bed. Or when I don’t feel like starting a new project. Or some mornings I have a hard time getting myself rolling….I use the ideas in your posts to get things done.
Like Deb, my other 2010 favorite post was a guest post on Problogger: “Three Problems That Make Me Leave Your Blog In Three Seconds”
Mike, your Sunday Goodies round-up is a gold mine. I have to include your latest edition in post. Your choices are perfect for bringing us all into 2011.
“The Weekend Web” posts on my blog are my favorites. It is like taking the what I like best about writing this blog and compacting it into a great weekend resource. I love searching the web for the best and then sending others to that data.
Sheila
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SheilaAtwood
P.S. Do you have a favorite blog post of 2010? Be sure to include it in the comments below.
Thank you so much Sheila, for inviting me to share on your wonderful blog again. Alongside Deb, Mike and Michelle I am truly honoured as they really are some of the best bloggers who are always giving and teaching so much through their blogs.
Through their suggestions, it’s clear the big bloggers are still making great waves and great impressions on all bloggers. With the clear examples from Darren, Chris and Brian, and setting the standard, it really is easy for any blogger to learn how to stand out and make their mark.
I look forward to the rise of more “Masters of the Web” in 2011. Thanks again Sheila.
Fiona Bosticky recently posted..Social Media 2010 Statistics
Fiona and Sheila,
Wow-Wee!! What a splendiferous (that’s REALLY delightful) surprise to be mentioned here! You ladies are rockin’ your blogs and I’m exceedingly blessed to have you in my circle of influence.
Michelle Shaeffer’s posts on the possibilities of what we can get accomplished in 10 minutes were incredibly phenomenal. I wish I possessed just an ounce of her creativity!
Fiona — I’ve never come across another blogger like you who, diligently and consistently, researches and shares the most AMAZING marketing resources with her readers. I’ve teased you about this before, but I don’t think you ever sleep!
Deb — You always bring the voice of experience into your posts. You present your content with absolute confidence and you’re one of the best techies on the net. (P.S. I still owe you a guest post – connect with you soon)
Sheila — Your ideas for blog “series” are fabulous! One of the things I admire and love about you the most is how you approach blogging with a totally “selfless” mindset. You feature more fellow bloggers than anyone else I can think of! I believe that speaks directly to your character and your values.
Happy New Year, everyone, and may each of you experience ALL the joys in life.
Melanie,
Thank you, I have had so much fun working with you and look forward to the New Year.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SheilaAtwood, SheilaAtwood, SheilaAtwood, Annie Infinite, Fiona Bosticky and others. Fiona Bosticky said: Masters Of The Web http://bit.ly/g9KZvC by @SheilaAtwood FEAT @mywebgal @mikepaetzold @MichelleShaeffr & @abnormalmarket!! [...]
I’ve got to agree with Deb, bloggers rock!!
And thank you, Sheila, I’m honored my posts made your list.
Michelle Shaeffer recently posted..Duct Tape the English Teacher & Kill the Monkeys
Michelle,
You’re welcome. I always get great data and insights from your posts. Plus your free videos series is fabulous. I learn best by seeing and there is many exact steps when doing things on the internet video helps to see those unknown areas.
What a great resource post! I’m bookmarking this one so that I can come back over and over again.
Thanks a lot for collecting all those links.
Nneka recently posted..Establish A Spiritual Practice
Nneka,
You are welcome. I hope you find them helpful.
Alright! I can’t tell you how excited I am to see one of my posts marked as a favorite for the year! I grinned from ear to ear when I saw that. So thank you both Mike and Sheila! That post took forever to write, but I think it was my most popular post at the time and it continues to get retweeted every so often.
I’m off now to go read some of the other posts mentioned. Thanks again.
Tristan recently posted..How to Turn a Lousy Blog Headline into a Great One
Tristan,
You are a perfect example of giving value in your posts. I can just imagine what it took to write it. I appreciate that and the fact that you share your own experiences with what you write about.
You have got the cream of the crop on this blog post!! Every single blogger is one I follow regularly. My favorite post? It’s hard to say, but I WILL say that your blog, Sheila, has been one of my favorites since I came online. You were a little further up the food chain and I learned everything I could from you. I’m still learning. Every day from your blog! Thanks for all you do!
MarthaGiffen recently posted..Twitter- What’s a Hash Tag and Why Do We Need Them
Wow what a great post Sheila. I don’t know all these people so will bookmark so can go visit their sites and check out the recommended reading.
As you know, I love networking and blog hopping, so to discover new sites to visit is bliss. Especially when there are quality posts that I will learn from waiting for me to read. Sweet.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are Your Goals Attainable In 2011
Great post indeed, Sheila! For once I’ve learned of many bloggers whose name I’ve never heard before. A lot to check out.
Once again, thanks for being such an amazing supporter on my Traffic Generation Cafe.
See you there soon!
Ana
Ana @ Traffic Generation recently posted..WWW vs non-WWW- Why You Should Put All Your Links in One Basket
[...] Sheila Atwood’s Masters of the Web Series: Chatting about my favorite blog posts of the year (and I was someone else’s favorite – too cool!) [...]
Masters, teach me your ways
! Cool article, saw some bloggers I’ve never seen before, thanks.
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