Favorite Pro Blogging Resources of 2004

Well it is New Years Eve here in Australia and I’ve been holed up in bed for the last few days with the flu. All I’ve really been able to do is a few short bursts of blogging and a lot of thinking about life, the past year and what is ahead (as well as a lot of coughing, spluttering and popping pills).

I got to thinking about the year that has just been and about some of the great blogs that I’ve discovered in recent months that have been useful on this career path. I thought I’d ask and compile a list of answers here to the question:

‘What have been your most useful pro blogging resources (blogs, rss feeds, websites, forums etc) in 2004?’



What resources inspire, education, motivate, teach or support you the most and why?

Here are a few of my recent favorites (in no particular order):

Big Money Tips – This is a blog that I would love to see updated more regularly (and judging by the comments on each post I suspect I’m not alone). It’s written by ‘Scrivs’ from 9 Rules Network who has been making a pretty decent living from his blogs (with online shops attached) through affiliate marketing and contextual ads. His archives contain heaps of worthwhile information and tips and the design of his blogs leaves my mouth watering.

Blog Business World – Wayne Hurlbert would have to be one of the more encouraging, approachable and empowering business bloggers that I’ve found. I like how his posts don’t go over one’s head but are easy to read and pretty well thought out. Wayne gets involved in others projects and is keen to share what he’s learnt.

Webmaster World – The forums on this site have taught me more in the past few months about SEO, Contextual Ads and a variety of other webmaster topics than I’ve probably learned anywhere else online. Yes there are a few ‘know it all’ types on there – but there are also a lot of genuinely nice people who know a thing or two about the web that don’t mind giving a hint or two. In a similar (and smaller) way Digital Point has been a valuable spot for me this past few months.

Micro Persuasion – He’s on holidays at the moment but Steve Rubel’s insights are well worth checking in for on a daily basis. I know I’m not the only one reading his stuff because he is regularly quoted by bloggers of all shapes and sizes. He covers everything from PR, to blogging, to participatory journalism. Looking forward to him getting back from his holidays soon (although his fill in guy is good too!).

Blog Herald – this blog is quality stuff and on my daily reads. It isn’t just about business blogging but takes in a pretty wide spectrum of blogging news and always has something worth reading posted on it.

Ensight and Inside Blogging – I’ve become a bit of a fan of Jeremy this year. I like the creative and outside of the box approach that he takes with his blogging activities and always take notice when he posts. I also appreciate his approachability despite his busyness. Jeremy and his offsider Darren take a keen interest in not only their own business but are on the look out to work with others.

Radiant Marketing Group – Paul Chaney is another blogger that I have a lot of time for. He’s pushing boundaries and working at exploring new frontiers for blogging. He’s got his finger on the pulse on a number of areas and always has something worthwhile to say. I’m looking forward to what he’s going to do in 2005 and am interested in collaborating with him.

Figby – I’ve only just discovered Michael in more recent times – largely because he’s another blogger who is interested in dialogue and interaction (he’s a regular commenter around here). Michael recently emailed me with his history of webmastering/blogging and has a wealth of experience in making a living online. He runs a variety of blogs and websites and is someone that I’m fast coming to respect in the closing weeks of 2004.

G’Day World – you’ll probably click this link and get to a page that says ‘bandwidth Limit Exceeded’ which says something about the popularity of this podcast. G’day World is run by two fellow Aussie Bloggers (its nice to hear another Aussie Accent echoing around the blogosphere) by the name of Cameron Reilly and Mick Stanic. I really enjoy their podcasts not only for their accents but because they are really knowledgeable not only about blogging but other emerging media – and they don’t present as up themselves – but rather come across as a couple of guys enjoying good conversation about something they are passionate about. They’ve got some great interviews coming up too with some standout bloggers. I’m looking forward to meeting them at Blogging Conference in Melbourne early next year.

So I’ve shown you mine – now you show me yours! If you want to do it in comments below feel free – otherwise blog it and leave a comment with a link to your post and I’ll link to it here in the main post.