A Blog Diet

If you're here, you probably know what a blog is. I was luck enough to first hear about blogs from my estemed Chief Technical Officer, Ramana Rao, the heart and founder of Inxight where I work. At least five years ago he said blogs were going to be big. I respected him, but I didn't get it. It seemed a blog was just a website that you write articles on. Now I finally think I understand a bit more why blogs are such a big deal, and why it's part of something much bigger that has been happening on the internet. Blogs are about a major shift from broadcast media to conversations, passive media consumption versus interactive participation.

This post is titled "a blog diet" because diet has such a tremendous impact on our health, and blogs should be a big part of every net citizen's diet. But perhaps the title should have been "a blog diet and exercise". Just reading blogs won't do it. You can't really understand the dance until you dance yourself. Don't just read blogs, find ones that let you comment, and post comments. Even if it's just "thank you, great post". You'll understand the value of this more though if you start your own. It's free, it's easy, and it's fast. I like blogspot.com, but there are others if you want to google around.

To get you started, here are a few blogs you might want to look at:

Creating Passionate Users Kathy Sierra makes technical learning fun with her Head First series of books. There's lots of great interesting and fun stuff here. Check it out.

100bloggers - One hundred bloggers post to a single blog space. You'll find lots of intersting reading and interesting folks to talk to. I post here too, check it out.

In the Blogging World You Don't Have Sex on the First Date - Here's a great bit of advice if you want to get serious about blogging. It can be a money making career by itself, but it also is a great way to market your goods and services.

Make it Great - Check out this guy's blog, it has lots of positive thinking in it, and references to the great blogs of others.

Gaping Void - Hugh Macleod has quite a following, with interesting cartoons. Might be fun, but this particular post has blogging advice - take as humor, but do take it.

Bernie Dekoven's Fun Log - It's about fun. have some every day, it's good for your health.