Michael Stelzner, the white paper guru, is running his annual contest for the year’s Top 10 Blogs for Writers. Now’s the time to submit your nominations–you have until this coming Friday, September 12. Write a comment on his post to nominate or vote for a blog.
Now if Remarkable Communication happens to be your favorite writing blog, I would dearly love your vote. Getting on a Top 10 list like this would be a wonderful way to re-launch this blog and expand the wonderful community that’s grown here.
But it would be churlish of me not to point to some other great contenders! I truly want you to vote for whichever writing blog you find the most valuable. Whether it’s mine or someone else’s, the important thing is to get your vote counted.
Here’s a very incomplete list of some terrific writing blogs.
- Bob Younce at The Writing Journey
- Sharon Hurley Hall at Get Paid to Write Online
- The hilarious Tei Lindstrom at Rogue Ink
- Tom Chandler’s The Copywriter Underground
- John Hewitt’s Poewar
- Sparkplugging’s Freelance Parent, written by Lorna Doone Brewer and Tamara Berry
- Ittybiz, just for awesomeness
- Confident Writing, by the glorious (jubilant, even!) Joanna Young
- The funny and awfully cool Writer Dad
- Roberta Rosenberg’s very smart Copywriting Maven
- Patsi Krakoff’s terrific Writing on the Web (I’m feeling the special love because she nominated ME)
- The elegant and talented Karen Swim and her Words for Hire
- These guys have an awful lot of votes already, but they’re pretty special
- Or, ya know, there’s always that little-known gem Copyblogger
The awful thing about putting together a little list of amazing blogs like this is that I know I’ve left some major ones off. Mend my ways in the comments! Let me know your very favorite writing blog, and be sure you nominate and/or vote for it on Stelzner’s site. Here’s that link again, just add a comment to the post. And remember, you need to vote by September 12.
Additions:
Jean Gogolin has a new-ish and very good blog called WordTales. Well-written, sharp, and incisive. She’s a speechwriter, but the focus is broader than that–there’s lots of good stuff here for anyone who communicates in words. I invite you all to check it out!
Sonia, I discovered tonight that it is possible to make me cry! LOL! Who knew?! I am so touched by your kind words, not just because they were said but because they were offered by someone I truly respect. Thank you for the encouragement Sonia. Your list includes so many of my favorite writers. I am dashing over to cast my vote for you. I agree that it will be a wonderful way to relaunch your blog! Good luck!
Sonia, you are just the nicest, I do believe, of all the nominees. None of us put together a list like this. Really cool. If I hadn’t already voted, tossing my vote to the hurricane of Mens with Pens, I would’ve (should’ve) voted for you. And I should’ve done it with my secret identity too.
P.S. Thanks for calling me funny and awfully cool. I think it’s cool and it makes me feel awfully funny.
Writer Dads last blog post..I Link You!
You guys are so danged sweet it kills me. xoxo
I loved seeing the MwP get that tidal wave of support! I’m such a dope that it didn’t occur to me to put my name in until I noticed that Patsi had nominated me.
I mean no disrespect (I happen to think you’re an excellent writer with many valuable and savvy insights). However, I have never been one to vote for someone to receive an award when they themselves encourage or request of me to do so. To me, there’s something horribly inauthentic about that whole process (“Hey everyone! Look at me; I won an award that I encouraged my friends and readers to vote for me to receive”).
I am not saying that this is your approach per se (after all, it looks like someone named Patsi nominated you), but it is difficult for me not to think of it in those terms.
Some people reading this comment might say, “Well, what’s the difference between Sonia asking for your vote and someone running for public office doing the same?”
Somewhere along the way, it became perfectly acceptable for people to either nominate themselves for awards or encourage others to do so on their behalf. Whereas in the political spectrum. asking someone for his or her vote has always been the norm. The former concerns me.
I think awards are diluted when we nominate ourselves and when we encourage others in droves to do the same (either to nominate us or vote for us based on someone else’s nomination). While I’ve never received a blog or writing-related award, if I ever do, I’d like to think that the award would have meant more due to the fact that I did not influence the process. To me (and I hope everyone reading this gets that I am using “I” statements here; that I’m not attacking Sonia), the award would always mean infinitely more when my peers and others cast their vote out of sheer appreciation for a job well done. Certainly, not everyone that knows me would know on their own about my nomination, but here again, I just think it violates the spirit of recognition to make everyone who would vote for me aware of the nomination. The vote of a stranger or someone who took the time to look at my content and judge for themselves would always mean more than the vote of a friend or admirer who I even remotely compelled to cast a vote for me.
For what it’s worth.
Oh, related, I recently penned an article on the value–or the lack thereof–of the highly competitive awards companies and their C-level executives compete for and receive. If anyone is interested in seeing what a cross section of business leaders thinks about such awards, do a Google search for (all in quotes): “Are Awards Worth the Effort”.
Sonia, it’s very kind of you to include a list of other writing blogs and I love all your descriptions, especially mine! I’ll hot foot it over and vote for you for sure. Love the new blog by the way 🙂
Joanna
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Citizen Publishers: How Do You Show Respect For Your Readers?
Sonia, your graciousness is only surpassed by your talent! Thank you for the mention.
Roberta Rosenbergs last blog post..Snarky for a Sunday Afternoon & a Yo, Lincoln! Twitter Address
If I hadn’t already voted for Freelance Writing Gigs, you would deserve it for the grace of putting this list together. Thanks for including me, Sonia.
Sharon Hurley Halls last blog post..Getting Back In The Saddle
Hey, what the-?! Where’s our name on that list! Oh, sure, I see the secret plan… pretend the Men don’t exist and they’ll go away. Mmhm.
No no no… makes us twice as determined, I’m afraid 😉 We have some good competition, too!
I was very immodest and nominated my own because it’s new, good but not well known, but I noted that my personal favorite is yours. I never miss it and never fail to learn something from it — after (ahem) several decades as a professional speechwriter!
Jean Gogolins last blog post..Want to Electrify the Crowd? Have an Attitude
@Mikal, I completely see your point of view. I don’t necessarily agree with it–I feel very comfortable pointing people to the site and saying, hey, vote for the one you think is best. If it’s me, that’s cool. If it’s someone else, that’s great as well. But thanks for weighing in–I respect your position.
@James, you do always manage to make me laugh.
@Jean, love your stuff (how have I managed not to see you before? I’m afraid I am not a very good social media citizen, I rarely manage to carve out the time to check out my fellow writers). I’m adding you to the list, and thanks for the nice words!
Okay I found the competition through Amy Derby and voted for the three people who have had the biggest influence in any modicum of improvement I have had in this online writing world, hm ..three? But we can only vote once. Yep, that’s why I had to be a little sneaky… Brian Clark, Sonia Simone and James Chartrand… @copyblogger … as they say in Texas, “you dance with the one that brung ya…” And they have danced me very gracefully day in and day out with precision steps. Now if I could just get that Passo Doble down…. Many thanks. There are so many wonderful blogs out there that I really count on to bring that quintessential human experience to the internets…I see alot of them up there on the list. good luck to you all. And most of all to you Beatrix.
Janice Cartiers last blog post..A Tale Of Two Lists
@Mikal –
I totally understand where you’re coming from – getting votes “just because” isn’t becoming to anyone who asks. I’m not too fond of electioneering myself.
But I believe what Sonia’s doing here is different – it’s not just “asking for a vote.” It’s making her readers aware of a contest that many of them might not be aware of. (I know I wasn’t.)
I believe that the only people who would be willing to vote after such a request would have been willing to vote for them in the first place, unsolicited – if they knew the contest existed. So in my eyes, what Sonia’s doing here is more a function of making her readers (who are already fans) aware of the contest in the first place.
Just my thoughts – thanks for weighing in with yours. Good to have many opinions in the thread.
Sonia:
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate and respect your writing/thoughts. I’ve spent the bulk of this year outlining the type of blog I want to author and how I can add value to potential readers – and keep it fresh. Your insights continue to resonate very strong and I’ll give you a strong vote here.
Keep it up the great wit and wisdom – I really like the new design (and have bought Thesis as well)
You’re remarkable and you’d get my vote, but I missed the window 🙁
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Social Loafing
This is an gives me some good ideas floating around in my mind.