I Confess: My Name is Amy and I’m a Blog Snob. Now Pass The Wine. (Blogs That Rock, Part I)

Are there any blogs that you devour each time a new post pops up? You know, those really special blogs that you just LOVE and can’t wait until the author thinks up more.  If you can’t relate at all, I might be making myself look a little foolish here, but I get REALLY excited when my favorite bloggers post something new.

In all honesty, I think I have become a bit of a blog snob.

You know how a wine snob does that pretentious thing when the waiter brings over a bottle… they sniff the cork, pour a little, swirl it around in their glass, and then swish it around in their mouth before taking a drink?  Well if I could do that with each blog I encounter, I would. (Yes, that’s how obsessed I have become these days . . .)

A good blog is priceless. Because we all have a million things to do, taking the time to read  favorite blogs can almost seem like a luxury.   When days get busy, my “luxuries” take a backseat to the necessities.

That’s why I only read the best of the best blogs—the ones that I know I can count on weekly to deliver an OBSCENE amount of VALUE in a really quick read.  This is how I decide if a blog makes my short list:

• Is the blog entertaining?  Does it make me feel something?
• Do the posts trigger new ideas, new thoughts and different ways to look at things?
• Do I get a glimpse of the author’s personal life?  Can I see what they are all about, what their honest view on life really is?  To me, seeing this side of the blogger makes all the difference.

Right now my favorite blogs include those from Jonathan Fields, Jay Baer, Melani Ward, Chris Brogan, Marie Forleo, Scott Stratten (unMarketing) and Naomi Dunford (IttyBiz).

I share them with you now because if you are interested in social media, marketing strategy, business and have an entrepreneurial mindset, these blogs might peak your interest too. In “Part 2” of this blog post I am going to give you a glimpse into why these blogs pretty much rock…and what you can learn from each.  (Hint:  The magic of these blogs include staying current, mixing up their delivery, talking to other people, occasionally having a mouth of a sailor and making you feel a bit uncomfortable…but in a good way.)

Each time you write a blog post, think of your favorite blogs.  What makes you come back for more?  What value do you get from reading them regularly? To increase the success of your own blogs, take those elements and model them. Just make sure to make them your own (because if you just copy what you see, your blog is likely to fall flat.)  Tell me this, what do you think makes a blog kick some serious butt?  I want to know!