Ok.  So it’s Tuesday.  Yesterday was Memorial Day in the US and an banking holiday in the UK.  So technically, I am still on track – and starting to have real fun with #blogmonday. The whole purpose is sharing linkey love with some of the “hidden gems” of the blogosphere. Yeah, you gotta write a blog post, but you were going to anyway. But contribute to #blogmonday by blogging about who you like – and why.

Last week, my votes were for:

• Heavy Bag Media
• Shannon Paul’s Very Official Blog
• Kami Huyse’s Communications Overtones
• Digital Street Journal
• The Fail Blog
• Greenversations
• Technosailor

Here are this week’s contributions:

Blogs That Need to Make it Onto Your Blogroll

• Doug Haslam’s blog.  While this is not part of his official blog, his fundraising effort for the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise money for a cure for childhood cancer leave him in sole first place in this category

Blogs You Might Not Read – But Should

• Mike Rupert’s “This Should be Illegal Blog.”  Disclosure: former Georgetown student.  But hell, any blog with this title is worth taking a look at, right?  And this is a good example of using social media for local grassroots efforts.
• Elspeth Murray’s Blog/Web site.  Elspeth came to my attention through her chronicles of a trip back to childhood places in Scotland.  I enjoyed reading it and I think you will too.
• Warren Sukernek’s “Twittermaven“.  Warren is just plain smart, but makes you think even more about Twitter — if that’s possible.  Give it a read.

So spread the linkey love. Even it it is Tuesday.

Mark #blogmonday Story

I am starting to have real fun with #blogmonday.  Since I started it, I have learned about topics as varied as different ways to enjoy bacon (but it sucks that I cannot partake because I am on a diet), social media karma as well as how cool a town Omaha is.  So what more do I need?  I need YOU.

I need you to share some linkey love with some of the “hidden gems” of the blogosphere. Yeah, you gotta write a blog post, but you were going to anyway. But contribute to #blogmonday by blogging about who you like – and why.

Last week, my votes were for:

• Dan York’s Disruptive Conversations
• Kami Huyse’s Communications Overtones
• David Armano’s “Logic+Emotion” blog
• Toby Bloomberg’s “Diva Marketing” blog
• Jim Long’s “Verge New Media”
• James Kotecki’s “Emergency Cheese”

Here are this week’s contributions:

Tried, True and Terrific

• Heavy Bag Media.  I like Jackie Peters’ writing style, but also enjoy her tweets about the wonderful places where she eats in the LA area (see prior note to being on a diet, however).  Jackie’s latest post is writing that I like: direct, concise and slightly snarky: “…too often marketing is approached as an ad-hoc jumble of tactics tossed against the wall in the hopes that one or two pieces will stick.” Bra-vo.
• Shannon Paul’s Very Official Blog.   I love her topics, her thinking, as well as the fact that often offers not just random thoughts and questions, but quite often, very thought-provoking posts.  I love movies that, after which, you have to go for a cup of coffee to think about and say “hmm.”   For me, Shannon’s blog is the online version of that movie.  Have a read if you would like to be enlightened and entertained.
• Digital Street Journal.  I love reading Jonathan Trenn’s blog, because, dammit, I learn something new about every time I cruise over there.  His posts are longer than most, thoughtful and really examine issues.  It’s kind of like the BBC of the blogosphere.

Blogs That Need to Make it Onto Your Blogroll

• The Fail Blog.  Any blog that makes you laugh out loud needs to be part of your weekly reading.  It’s all about typos, people crashing into things and other items that that make you glad that you are not part of Darwin’s Master Plan:

Blogs That You Might Not Read – But Should

• Greenversations.  Yes, Virginia, the federal government CAN spend your tax dollars in meaningful and creative ways.  Jeff Levy of the Environmental Protection Agency does a lot of things right, and the “Greenversations” blog is just one of them.  I am not what you would call a tree hugger, but I sure can recognize good social media outreach when I see it.

Random Blogs of the Week:

• Technosailor.  Aaron Brazell’s blog is informative, like me, he is in the swampland that is the Nation’s Capitol, and, most importantly of all, he is a Red Sox fan. Read the blog.

So like I said, start blogging, Bubbeleh.  Spread the linkey love.  You’ll thank me for it in the morning.

Mark #blogmonday Story

As I mentioned in my inaugural post, I have started #blogmonday because I want to share some linkey love with some of the “hidden gems” of the blogosphere – as well as introduce some very good blogs that you might not know about.  It’s like #followfriday on steroids.  Yeah, you gotta write a blog post, but you were going to anyway.  But you have to blog about who you like.

Last week, my votes were for:

• Dan Thornton’s “The Way of the Web.
• Jason Falls’ Social Media Explorer
• Shonali Burke’s “Waxing Unlyrical.“
• Lee Odden’s Online Marketing Blog
• Robert French’s “PR Open Mic.”
• Maren Hogan’s “Marenated.”
• The American Latina

Here are this week’s contributions:

Tried, True and Terrific

• Dan York’s Disruptive Conversations.  Dan is a frequent contributor to “For Immediate Release” and offers a true technologist’s view to the social media tools that we use as communications professionals.
• Kami Huyse’s Communications Overtones.  I had the pleasure of doing a Media Bullseye Radio Roundtable with Kami but knew that she was “wicked smaht” about social media and public relations strategy long before that.
• David Armano’s “Logic+Emotion” blog. This guy is smart. Scary smart.  I have used his stuff even in my Georgetown classes.  He thinks up answers before most of us have come up with the questions.

Blogs That Need to Make it Onto Your Blogroll

• Toby Bloomberg’s “Diva Marketing” blog.  Any blog that states “…my imagination soared with thoughts on how this media could create old-fashioned, corner-grocer-store relationships and real-time customer service in a world that had forgotten the importance,” is one you need to read.

Blogs That You Might Not Read – But Should

• Jim Long’s “Verge New Media.” Jim was/is in television production (every time I see a tweet, he’s getting ready to meet someone BIG), but he brings and interesting perspective of someone who started in “old media” but gets “new media.”

Random Blogs of the Week:

• James Kotecki’s “Emergency Cheese.” With a blog name like that, you just HAVE to click on it, don’t you?  DON’T YOU?  James offers interesting political commentary, mainly via video.

I get it, I get it. It’s not as easy as #followfriday, but please consider a quick post giving props to those whom you think are deserving of it. Write a post, give some love, get some karma.  Ask Shonali Burke.

Mark #blogmonday Story

As I mentioned in my inaugural post, I have started #blogmonday because I want to share some linkey love with some of the “hidden gems” of the blogosphere – as well as introduce some very good blogs that you might not know about.

My sincere hope is that, through writing about other bloggers, we all can increase the reach and scope of our own blogger networks, help promote some really smart people who don’t have the high Technorati rankings (yet) as well as share our own online rolodexes of “must reads.”

Here’s my ask:  if you are into the idea, please write a post about who you read, like my friends, Shonali Burke, Chip Griffin, David Wescott, Heather Lauer and others who tweeted did last week.

Last week, my votes were for:

• Occam Razr’s
• It’s Not a Lecture
• Shel Holtz
• Neville Hobson
• Katie Paine
• Shilpika Das
• Matthew Chamberlin (even though he turned out to be fan of the New York Yankees)
• and for the “other” category, Media Bullseye.

Here are this week’s contributions:

Tried, True and Terrific

• Dan Thornton’s “The Way of the Web.” Dan is based in the U.K. and writes a terrific blog on social media and marketing measurement.
• Jason Falls’ Social Media Explorer.  Jason is smart, funny and profane. Just what I look for in a blogger.
• Shonali Burke’s “Waxing Unlyrical.“  She had an amazing post last week on social media karma, something that is near and dear to me and others who do “Follow Friday.”

Blogs That Need to Make it Onto Your Blogroll

• Lee Odden’s Online Marketing Blog.  Good measurement and statistics for SEO have gained prominence, and with good reason, in no small part to tighter ad budgets.  You’ll usually learn something you did not yet know on Lee’s blog.

Blogs That You Might Not Read – But Should

• Robert French’s “PR Open Mic.” Robert not only teaches his students well, but has built an amazing platform for public relations professionals to interact, share ideas, blog — and most importantly — for students to show off their own work.  I wish that other universities would do this as well as Robert does.

Random Blogs of the Week:

• Maren Hogan’s “Marenated.” With a clever name like this and insight about recruiting and human resources, how can you  NOT love this blog?
• The American Latina (confession: former student).  With an intro that states that she offers “…notes from a confused twenty-something capricious, slightly neurotic, intelligent, beautiful latina breaking all the rules and making up new ones along the way as she figures out who she is and what it means to be a Latina in the US,” how can you NOT read this blog?
  

While it’s not as easy as #followfriday, won’t you please consider a quick post giving props to those whom you think are deserving of it?  Write a post, give some love, get some karma.

Mark #blogmonday Story

I consider myself fortunate because I get to learn a lot from some very smart people.  I do social media in my day job, teach it at my night job, blog (duh) and get to so some freelance writing and podcast work on the side.

The best part?  Just about every day, I learn something new.

I have to confess, however, that my daily reading does not include some of the real blogosphere luminaries (I promised, no more about Scoble).  Aside from Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson (whom I consider A-Listers), my daily reading consists of some of whom I consider to be the “hidden gems” of the blogosphere.  And that’s why I came up with the wacky idea (boldly stealing #followfriday) with #blogmonday.

My dream is that, through blogging about other bloggers, we all can increase the reach and scope of our own blogger networks, help promote some really smart people who just don’t have the high Technorati rankings (yet) as well as share our own online rolodexes of “must reads.”

So please, feel free to join me in promoting some of the smart people out there.  And trust me;  I plan  to make this a weekly occurrence in the hopes that it takes off.  If you’re not in this one, you will more than likely make it into another.  So here are my entries for the inaugural #blogmonday.

Tried, True and Terrific

• Occam Razr’s – Ike Piggot’s blog not only makes me think about more things that just social media, I learn something new every time I read it.
• It’s Not a Lecture:  David Wescott makes you think;  and he developed (and executed) a brilliant idea on the “Global Moms” initiative.  Plus. he’s smart as hell.
• Rounding out this week’s list is a combined entry of Shel Holtz’s and Neville Hobson’s individual blogs as well as their out-of-this-world entertaining and smart podcast, “For Immediate Release.”

Blogs That Need to Make it Onto Your Blogroll

• Katie Payne’s Measurement Blog.  Katie literally wrote the book on public relations measurement and has helped me solve many an argument at work or consulting on the value of public relations.  She figured out the answers before many of us came up with the questions.

Blogs That You Might Not Read – But Should

• Shilpika Das’s “Wired Conversations.” Full disclosure:  Shilpika is a former student of mine, but writes amazingingly insightful posts.  She is smart, a great writer and someone who makes me think.  The student has become the teacher in this case.
• Matthew Chamberlin’s “Clearcast Digital Media.“  Matthew has been both a social media marketer and a video producer, so writes stuff that makes you think about the the differing aspects of social media converge.

Random Blog of the Week:

• Over the Monster – As a die-hard Red Sox fan (and I died hard many times before the first Red Sox World Series Championship, like in 1975, 1976 (Bucky Effing Dent) and of course, the Bucker-led 1986 team).  But if your are a Sox fan, add this to your blogroll.

Bonus Feature – Online Magazine and Podcast Series

• Media Bullseye.  This is Chip Griffin’s online, offline and “Radio Roundtable” venture, often executed by Jen Zingsheim (who, oh,by the way, announced that she hot MARRIED on Twitter last week).   Again this meets my criteria that every time I read or listen, I am educated and entertained.  Full disclosure:  I write for Media Bullseye and occasionally step-in as a co-host, but I wouldn’t do it, unless, in the New Hampshire vernacular, these guys weren’t “wicked smaht.”

That today’s inugural entry.  While it’s not as easy as #followfriday, won’t you please consider a quick post giving props to those whom you think are deserving of it?

Mark #blogmonday Story