It has been an amazing year in the Blog-O-Sphere. Many blogs have come and gone. Stories about every imaginable subject have been written. Technology has improved and starting a blog is now easier than ever. This little blog had it’s humble beginnings back in March and grew slowly with a few new readers added each week. Along with the growth came many friends and acquaintances. I’ve found that the blogging world is a pretty neat place. I’ve learned a lot, had some setbacks and also had some really exciting things happen. 2005 has been a great year.
I would like to share with you my picks for the Best of the Blog-O-Sphere 2005… from my perspective.
1. Best Performing Blog: StevePavlina.com
Steve is an amazing guy. He has written on almost every imaginable subject relating to personal development. He has led us through his adventures in polyphasic sleeping, sending an intention to the universe to make a million dollars, and having dreams about gargoyles and Ghandi. His unique content has brought in a loyal following with over one million page views per month. This traffic loves to click on his Adsense Ad’s to the tune of almost $5000/month. This has been an amazing ride for Steve as his blog only made $10 back in February. Congrats Steve on an amazing journey… maybe now you can get some sleep!
2. Most Helpful Blogger: Rosa Say from Talking Story
Rosa is best known as the author of Managing with Aloha and a professional leadership coach. But there is much more to this amazing lady. She is a blogging teambuilder like no other. She has put together an amazing group of business bloggers called the Ho’ohana Community. She is always willing to help and has many online resources to help you become a better leader. “Aloha” Rosa on a Great Year!
3. Most Consistent Writer: Troy Worman from Orbit Now
Writing and posting to a blog can be a very time consuming task. Many blogs go weeks or even months between posts. It is refreshing to find a writer that is both prolific and consistent. Troy Worman has a passion for writing and it shows. He is responsible for 5 different blogs and each one is updated on a regular basis. Content is king in the World Wide Web and Troy is one of the most consistent content writers there is. Great job in 2005!
4. Best Search Engine Blog: Yaro Starak
Every blogger wants to find that secret to blogging success… more traffic. Yaro is a rarity in the Search Engine Optimization blog world. He is not your typical “Pay me lots of money for my secrets” SEO blogger. In fact he has taken a very helpful approach with his fellow bloggers and has shared many of his search engine secrets with all of us. I have learned so much from his site. Thank you Yaro for all of your insights!
5. Best Blogging Tool: Performancing for Firefox
Performancing.com is the new kid in town. Their motto is Helping Bloggers Succeed. Performancing LLC was formed, and is owned by Patrick Gavin and Nick Wilson. Also on the team are Chris Garrett, the techy guy, and Andy Hagans, the monetization expert. Their new plug-in for Firefox allows you to edit your blog from a window in your Firefox browser. This is one cool timesaving tool… and it’s free! Thanks Guys!
6. Best Blog Theme: Life Hut
This has to be one of the best designed WordPress blogs to come online in a long time. The design and concept of a Hut make this a fun site and the voting feature makes it interactive as well. It’s rare to see a new blog come online with so many great features. Take a look at the imaginative graphics and well laid out CSS. Great job Bryan!
7. Best Coffee Blog: Life-Leadership-Lattes
If you are hanging out in Starbucks with your laptop you must checkout ScottHodge.org. This site is dedicated to caffeine and sock monkeys! What is a sock monkey you ask? Well they even have a sock monkey photo album and some cool video clips. Great site and great multimedia Scott!
Honorable Mentions go out to To-Done, Genuine Curiosity, Slacker Manager, and Good at Everything for new blog interfaces for 2005. These are all exceptional sites and each has a great new look. Check them out!
I want to say thanks to all of you out there who have made this a great year online! We have some exciting things in store for 2006. Stay Tuned!
About John Richardson
Author, Speaker, and Digital Media Creator. Personal Development Blogger. Ideas for Success!
Great selections! I especially like your selections for Rosa, Scott, Troy, Bren, and of course Steve Pavlina.
Thank YOU for your insights and posts in 2005…and let’s see more of the same in 2006!
Mahalo nui John! I am very honored that you have included me here in your selections.
The Ho‘ohana Community has come together as a result of the heart and soul contributed by many, several of whom you mention here, and you are a very important part of our success as a virtual community too! It has been my privilege and my joy to have Talking Story provide our sense of place, belonging, and learning.
My warmest wishes to you and all your readers for the very best that the coming year has to offer.
Hau’oli makahiki hou (Happy New Year), and again, mahalo nui loa (thank you very much).
With my aloha,
Rosa
Wow, I can only say wow. It’s so amazing to see my face along with some other amazing bloggers.
I really appreciate the mention John, thank you very much.
Good luck with all your projects as well and have a happy new year!
Thanks for the comment Phil. You definitely get the award for best ATTITUDE. I plan to take your advice and make 2006 a GREAT year! And 5 posts on one day… wow!
Happy Hiatus Rosa! Enjoy your time with your ‘Ohana!
John
Yaro… thanks for all the great site information this year! I am taking your advice and will be adding some exciting new content for the New Year. Here is a toast to a great 2006!
Cheers,
John
Thank you! What an honor. 2005 has truly been a great year.
It looks like you’ve gone off the deep end in terms of trying to kiss ass with you “list”.
Ariadnek, I may have gone off the deep end, but I will say that this is one of the most resourceful and helpful groups of people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. While so much of the Blog-o-sphere is negative and condesecending this group listed above has a positive focus and a great outlook for 2006.
John
Thanks for sharing your list, John – I had a few of them on my own list (Rosa, Bren, Pavlina, Troy, To-Done) but the others are new to me – thanks for bringing them onto my radar.
By the way, your blog was one of the many pleasant discoveries in blogspace for me in 2005. Keep up the great work. And didn’t *you* have an interface overhaul this year, too?
Thanks for the mention, John. Very cool…and great list, too!
Thanks for the replies Dwayne and Bren. It is interesting to see the path you have taken in updating your blogs. Both of your sites look much better in their new formats.
I have been experimenting with a three column template for this site but I haven’t found one that looks good and has a good structure. So many of the three column templates break in Internet Explorer. Your new WordPress three column looks good Bren. Keep me posted how it works out for you.
John
John – thanks so much for the great comment and recognition! I’m honored. Keep up the great work yourself!
Scott Hodge