Mixing It Up

Hi Danny,
I definitely agree with this - it's one of the reasons that despite the fact that I always find awesome content on Problogger and Copyblogger, I rarely add them to my link lists anymore. I want people to get out and explore other great bloggers who may not be getting the exposure they deserve. The added benefit, is that they're usually more appreciative and interested in building a mutually beneficial blogging relationship.
Wonderfully insightful post, here.

Hi Danny,
I definitely agree with this - it's one of the reasons that despite the fact that I always find awesome content on Problogger and Copyblogger, I rarely add them to my link lists anymore. I want people to get out and explore other great bloggers who may not be getting the exposure they deserve. The added benefit, is that they're usually more appreciative and interested in building a mutually beneficial blogging relationship.
Wonderfully insightful post, here.

Hi Danny, I definitely agree with this - it's one of the reasons that despite the fact that I always find awesome content on Problogger and Copyblogger, I rarely add them to my link lists anymore. I want people to get out and explore other great bloggers who may not be getting the exposure they deserve. The added benefit, is that they're usually more appreciative and interested in building a mutually beneficial blogging relationship. Wonderfully insightful post, here.

Hi Danny,

I so agree with you on mixing it up and giving some well-deserved recognition to lesser known, quality bloggers. I subscribe to about 50 blogs at any given time that vary greatly in popularity, and I often RT those I find of particular interest. What I don't always do - and now will do - is recognize all of these important contributors more often on FollowFriday and other appropriate occasions. Case in point, I've followed you for a long time and have bookmarked many of your posts, but don't know if I've really ever said "thank you" or recommended your blog. And I'm truly sorry about that because you consistently add value to my online world and make me think. Thank you!

That said, I'm thinking my blog consumption is probably very atypical. How many bloggers does the average person follow? How much information can/will s/he realistically consume with jobs, families, etc.? If I could guess, I'd say maybe 10 posts per day would be generous. So, if someone can/will only read 10 posts per day, chances are good at least half of them will be from A-listers. That's just the way the world works - people want to read what's most popular. That leaves 5 slots, give or take, up for grabs. Which is where, I think, the real competition begins.

Interestingly, I still remember one of the very first blogs I subscribed to (and still do) was by @michaelhyatt. Why? Because he reached out to me when I was new on Twitter and gave me great information. He has a large following now, but I still wouldn't call him an A-lister. Anyway, I started following many of the same blogs he followed, which did include several A-listers at the time. From there, I followed other blogs (including yours) that came to my attention through A-lister RTs or blog post mentions. Now, more than two years later, I still often follow blogs that emanate from these roots.

So... from my admittedly narrow perspective, I'm thinking two things here stand out if you want to be noticed as a blogger: 1) always make time to reach out to others; and 2) engage the A-listers, cultivate their advocacy and learn from them.

Just my two cents. Penny back for your thoughts.

Thanks again, Danny, for your consistently great work... :-)

Jenifer ~ @jenajean

Hi Danny,

I so agree with you on mixing it up and giving some well-deserved recognition to lesser known, quality bloggers. I subscribe to about 50 blogs at any given time that vary greatly in popularity, and I often RT those I find of particular interest. What I don't always do - and now will do - is recognize all of these important contributors more often on FollowFriday and other appropriate occasions. Case in point, I've followed you for a long time and have bookmarked many of your posts, but don't know if I've really ever said "thank you" or recommended your blog. And I'm truly sorry about that because you consistently add value to my online world and make me think. Thank you!

That said, I'm thinking my blog consumption is probably very atypical. How many bloggers does the average person follow? How much information can/will s/he realistically consume with jobs, families, etc.? If I could guess, I'd say maybe 10 posts per day would be generous. So, if someone can/will only read 10 posts per day, chances are good at least half of them will be from A-listers. That's just the way the world works - people want to read what's most popular. That leaves 5 slots, give or take, up for grabs. Which is where, I think, the real competition begins.

Interestingly, I still remember one of the very first blogs I subscribed to (and still do) was by @michaelhyatt. Why? Because he reached out to me when I was new on Twitter and gave me great information. He has a large following now, but I still wouldn't call him an A-lister. Anyway, I started following many of the same blogs he followed, which did include several A-listers at the time. From there, I followed other blogs (including yours) that came to my attention through A-lister RTs or blog post mentions. Now, more than two years later, I still often follow blogs that emanate from these roots.

So... from my admittedly narrow perspective, I'm thinking two things here stand out if you want to be noticed as a blogger: 1) always make time to reach out to others; and 2) engage the A-listers, cultivate their advocacy and learn from them.

Just my two cents. Penny back for your thoughts.

Thanks again, Danny, for your consistently great work... :-)

Jenifer ~ @jenajean

Hi Danny, I so agree with you on mixing it up and giving some well-deserved recognition to lesser known, quality bloggers. I subscribe to about 50 blogs at any given time that vary greatly in popularity, and I often RT those I find of particular interest. What I don't always do - and now will do - is recognize all of these important contributors more often on FollowFriday and other appropriate occasions. Case in point, I've followed you for a long time and have bookmarked many of your posts, but don't know if I've really ever said "thank you" or recommended your blog. And I'm truly sorry about that because you consistently add value to my online world and make me think. Thank you! That said, I'm thinking my blog consumption is probably very atypical. How many bloggers does the average person follow? How much information can/will s/he realistically consume with jobs, families, etc.? If I could guess, I'd say maybe 10 posts per day would be generous. So, if someone can/will only read 10 posts per day, chances are good at least half of them will be from A-listers. That's just the way the world works - people want to read what's most popular. That leaves 5 slots, give or take, up for grabs. Which is where, I think, the real competition begins. Interestingly, I still remember one of the very first blogs I subscribed to (and still do) was by @michaelhyatt. Why? Because he reached out to me when I was new on Twitter and gave me great information. He has a large following now, but I still wouldn't call him an A-lister. Anyway, I started following many of the same blogs he followed, which did include several A-listers at the time. From there, I followed other blogs (including yours) that came to my attention through A-lister RTs or blog post mentions. Now, more than two years later, I still often follow blogs that emanate from these roots. So... from my admittedly narrow perspective, I'm thinking two things here stand out if you want to be noticed as a blogger: 1) always make time to reach out to others; and 2) engage the A-listers, cultivate their advocacy and learn from them. Just my two cents. Penny back for your thoughts. Thanks again, Danny, for your consistently great work... :-) Jenifer ~ @jenajean

Hola Danny,

I hate to sound repetitive by saying this post is another of your eye-opening pieces but hey - it's not my fault you keep cranking out the good stuff :).

Very true indeed! Most of what I read and learn comes from excellent bloggers such as Gini, Mark, Jim and Yourself.

It's great to follow the A-listers but I think there's a lot you can learn from other contributors that are up n' coming and in my opinion just as good! I often see that these folks display a tremendous amount of passion in their work - it's clearly visible.

I much enjoy the writings of good folks such as Joey Strawn, Tristan Higbee from BloggingBookshelf.com, Thu Nguyen from BloggingFor.info, Michele Welch from NewBizBlogger.com, Troy Claus, Stanford Smith from PushingSocial.com, Ana Hoffman from TrafficGenerationCafe.com, Kiesha Easley from WeBlogBetter.com and numerous others (I'll spare you the ultra long comment/list and leave you with just a long one lol).

These peeps do it all well. They comment, they tweet, they engage!

They may not be A-listers YET but they sure have a hell of a lot to share and they do so consistently and in a way that makes you want to click on every post they publish.

Same goes for me - if someone I like and respect points me in a new direction, then I will most certainly take the time to check out the bloggers they've recommended. After all, we all started somewhere.

As for the #FollowFriday idea - I think it's fantastic. I was lucky enough and honored to have Gini write a kick-ass one about me :). And thanks to her fabulously fun word(S) of mouth, I'm sure it pointed some of her readers in my direction and allowed them to discover a new blogger gal :).

Thanks for taking the time to remind us that the "rest" exist as well - and that they've got excellent insight to share too!

Cheers Danny

Hola Danny,

I hate to sound repetitive by saying this post is another of your eye-opening pieces but hey - it's not my fault you keep cranking out the good stuff :).

Very true indeed! Most of what I read and learn comes from excellent bloggers such as Gini, Mark, Jim and Yourself.

It's great to follow the A-listers but I think there's a lot you can learn from other contributors that are up n' coming and in my opinion just as good! I often see that these folks display a tremendous amount of passion in their work - it's clearly visible.

I much enjoy the writings of good folks such as Joey Strawn, Tristan Higbee from BloggingBookshelf.com, Thu Nguyen from BloggingFor.info, Michele Welch from NewBizBlogger.com, Troy Claus, Stanford Smith from PushingSocial.com, Ana Hoffman from TrafficGenerationCafe.com, Kiesha Easley from WeBlogBetter.com and numerous others (I'll spare you the ultra long comment/list and leave you with just a long one lol).

These peeps do it all well. They comment, they tweet, they engage!

They may not be A-listers YET but they sure have a hell of a lot to share and they do so consistently and in a way that makes you want to click on every post they publish.

Same goes for me - if someone I like and respect points me in a new direction, then I will most certainly take the time to check out the bloggers they've recommended. After all, we all started somewhere.

As for the #FollowFriday idea - I think it's fantastic. I was lucky enough and honored to have Gini write a kick-ass one about me :). And thanks to her fabulously fun word(S) of mouth, I'm sure it pointed some of her readers in my direction and allowed them to discover a new blogger gal :).

Thanks for taking the time to remind us that the "rest" exist as well - and that they've got excellent insight to share too!

Cheers Danny

Hola Danny, I hate to sound repetitive by saying this post is another of your eye-opening pieces but hey - it's not my fault you keep cranking out the good stuff :). Very true indeed! Most of what I read and learn comes from excellent bloggers such as Gini, Mark, Jim and Yourself. It's great to follow the A-listers but I think there's a lot you can learn from other contributors that are up n' coming and in my opinion just as good! I often see that these folks display a tremendous amount of passion in their work - it's clearly visible. I much enjoy the writings of good folks such as Joey Strawn, Tristan Higbee from BloggingBookshelf.com, Thu Nguyen from BloggingFor.info, Michele Welch from NewBizBlogger.com, Troy Claus, Stanford Smith from PushingSocial.com, Ana Hoffman from TrafficGenerationCafe.com, Kiesha Easley from WeBlogBetter.com and numerous others (I'll spare you the ultra long comment/list and leave you with just a long one lol). These peeps do it all well. They comment, they tweet, they engage! They may not be A-listers YET but they sure have a hell of a lot to share and they do so consistently and in a way that makes you want to click on every post they publish. Same goes for me - if someone I like and respect points me in a new direction, then I will most certainly take the time to check out the bloggers they've recommended. After all, we all started somewhere. As for the #FollowFriday idea - I think it's fantastic. I was lucky enough and honored to have Gini write a kick-ass one about me :). And thanks to her fabulously fun word(S) of mouth, I'm sure it pointed some of her readers in my direction and allowed them to discover a new blogger gal :). Thanks for taking the time to remind us that the "rest" exist as well - and that they've got excellent insight to share too! Cheers Danny

Being an underdog myself, I always root for the underdog. As a matter of fact it is also one of my cartoons. I love the conversation here Danny because I feel a much greater sense of community with the people and blogs I interact with because it is almost always a two sided conversation. There are so many cool people out there that work so hard. I try to discover someone new as often as possible.

Being an underdog myself, I always root for the underdog. As a matter of fact it is also one of my cartoons. I love the conversation here Danny because I feel a much greater sense of community with the people and blogs I interact with because it is almost always a two sided conversation. There are so many cool people out there that work so hard. I try to discover someone new as often as possible.

I've always been of the belief that the A-listers are going to change in 2011 and I think YOU are among the up-and-comers. I also love the idea of doing #FollowFriday differently. I included @conversationage last week because, although she is an A-lister, I continually get good content from her. The others you sometimes think, "Now why do people read this?" That's not the case for you, Jim, or Mark. Thanks for including me!

I've always been of the belief that the A-listers are going to change in 2011 and I think YOU are among the up-and-comers. I also love the idea of doing #FollowFriday differently. I included conversationage last week because, although she is an A-lister, I continually get good content from her. The others you sometimes think, "Now why do people read this?" That's not the case for you, Jim, or Mark. Thanks for including me!

Interesting blogs you pointed out that I haven't read. MORE to add to my ever-growing list!

My problem with some of the "big dogs" is that I appreciate someone who proofreads content. Mistakes happen, but mistakes happening because you just don't feel the need to fix typos, as though you are above all of that? Not cool.

Interesting blogs you pointed out that I haven't read. MORE to add to my ever-growing list! My problem with some of the "big dogs" is that I appreciate someone who proofreads content. Mistakes happen, but mistakes happening because you just don't feel the need to fix typos, as though you are above all of that? Not cool.

I just came across this article through Twitter and am glad I did.

You made a great point at how a lot of great information is going unnoticed and that those lesser-known people aren't getting the credit they deserve.

As a blogger myself, it makes me take a step back and really rethink how I do things. I'll make sure to give a proper thanks more often to those interesting blogs I read.

Thanks for this post.

I just came across this article through Twitter and am glad I did. You made a great point at how a lot of great information is going unnoticed and that those lesser-known people aren't getting the credit they deserve. As a blogger myself, it makes me take a step back and really rethink how I do things. I'll make sure to give a proper thanks more often to those interesting blogs I read. Thanks for this post.

Thanks for mentioning Jim Connolly. Hadn't read his blog before your mention. Solid!

Thanks for mentioning Jim Connolly. Hadn't read his blog before your mention. Solid!

Hi Danny. I just wanted to say a quick "thank you" for the generous mentione here, on one of my favourite blogs.

You make an interesting point regarding the value of highlighting lesser-known bloggers. There are many great new bloggers right now, who have something worth saying, but it can be a challenge to find them. This is where things like commentluv come into there own. I often see interesting comments on blogs, and almost always follow that commenter back to their blog, if they have one.

Thanks again sir!

Hi Danny. I just wanted to say a quick "thank you" for the generous mentione here, on one of my favourite blogs. You make an interesting point regarding the value of highlighting lesser-known bloggers. There are many great new bloggers right now, who have something worth saying, but it can be a challenge to find them. This is where things like commentluv come into there own. I often see interesting comments on blogs, and almost always follow that commenter back to their blog, if they have one. Thanks again sir!

Danny,

This is some good stuff. One thing that Seth Godin talks about in Tribes is the idea of recruiting people who are looking for tribes to join rather than ones who have already pledge allegiance to a tribe. This is why I always make a point to keep an eye on up and coming bloggers. When I recently did a list post of 40 Travel blogggers for my day job, I actually specifically looked for people who had just started or had been around about a month and were producing awesome stuff. Most smally people won't be small forever.

Definitely agree on Mark Schaeffer. I've been enjoying his stuff. I'll have to check out the others.

Cheers,
Srini

Danny, This is some good stuff. One thing that Seth Godin talks about in Tribes is the idea of recruiting people who are looking for tribes to join rather than ones who have already pledge allegiance to a tribe. This is why I always make a point to keep an eye on up and coming bloggers. When I recently did a list post of 40 Travel blogggers for my day job, I actually specifically looked for people who had just started or had been around about a month and were producing awesome stuff. Most smally people won't be small forever. Definitely agree on Mark Schaeffer. I've been enjoying his stuff. I'll have to check out the others. Cheers, Srini