Man, I love end-of-the-year lists. Music, movies, sports moments… anything in a listed format, really. So here’s a little list for all of you – the Top 9 Blogs of 2009 (That Aren’t This One – because I’m modest), presented to in no particular order because they’re all awesome and the judging panel (me) couldn’t decide on the rankings. So without further ado…the winners!
NOTE: The 10th blog is discussed in this post.
Life After College – As I said before in this post, Jenny Blake is one of the bloggers whose articles I read and think, why didn’t I come up with that? Chock-full of great advice, her blog offers excellent motivational tools that I have used and recommended to great success. Plus, she’s spent time making some vital Office templates, which should be reason enough for you to check out her blog.
Recommended Posts: “Skills are Cheap, Passion is Priceless,” “Dating: Do you go for Quality or Quantity?”
Twitter: @Jenny_Blake
Corn on the Job – Rich DeMatteo writes so conversationally and enjoyably that before you know it, you’re reading through his entire blog archive. Rich knows his audience of recruiters, HR, and job seekers well, crafting posts that can help you out regardless of what side of the employment table you’re on. Also, he’s done an awesome job crafting his personal brand, something I’m pretty jealous of.
Recommended Posts: “You have an 8% chance of living, now what?,” ”Are you unemployed? Here’s 20 ways to become FUNemployed”
Twitter: @CornOnTheJob
Small Hands, Big Ideas – Man, I hate to use the word cute to describe anything, but that’s kind of the feeling I get from reading Grace Boyle’s awesome blog. Maybe it’s the relaxing tone, comfortable word choice, or that she has a weekly feature called “Friday Linky Love,” but the whole thing is just cute. But that shouldn’t distract you from her great posts that not only teach, but make you think.
Recommended Posts: “Humility In New Graduates and Not Letting Age or Experience Stand In Your Way,” “Asking For Help and Why I Struggle With It”
Twitter: @gracekboyle
From the Gen Y Perspective – I admit it, when I was looking for new blogs to read a couple months ago, I checked on Twitter to see if anyone was reposting stuff that I’d put up. And I found Emily Jasper was giving me a few RTs, which led to my reading her blog. She writes very clean and concisely, delivering great content in a tone that offers friendly tips and advice on a good range of personal and professional topics.
Recommended Posts: “Are We On the Road to Success?,” “Table For One”
Twitter: @EmilyJasper
Smile Like You Mean It – If I’m in the mood to look at pictures of pretty things, the first place I go is Caitlin McCabe’s blog. If I’m in the mood to read thought-provoking articles, it’s also the first place I go. With a combined art and writing aesthetic that makes me feel like one of the cool kids just by reading them, her posts are like sitting in an indie coffee shop while talking about social trends.
Recommended Posts: “Can Social Media Ruin my Relationship?,” “Blogging and the FTC…Making Sure We Know We’re NOT Celebrities”
Twitter: @caitlinmc
Weakonomics – Looking for interesting conversation topics at the next cocktail party, or simply want cold hard facts to back up your point of view? Philip TW has you covered. He answers a lot of social econ questions (my favorite kind of econ questions) that you’ve always thought about, but never really thought about, in a way that anyone can understand.
Recommended Posts: “The Economy and Your Fat @$$,” “Legalize and Tax Pot”
Twitter: @The_Weakonomist
Awesome & Unemployed – Jenny Blake recommended that I check out Stefanie’s blog, and I’m glad I did. She has lots of great career search advice, is very thorough, and has examples that I’ve used to increase my success with applications and interviews. And awesomeness.
Recommended Posts: “Walk in with more than your resume…,” “Value in Volunteering”
Twitter: @tiramisustef
Sydney: Unfiltered – Sydney Owen pulls of the whole “life experiences as lessons that we can all learn from” thing better than most any blogger out there. While many bloggers try to find meaning in inconsequential events or over-personalize their posts, Sydney offers a clear and natural transition from the life of one to the lives of many.
Recommended Posts: “Don’t try to help Mr. ‘The-Rules-Don’t-Apply-To-Me’.,” “Be a duck.”
Twitter: @SydneyOwen
A.J. Bingham – A.J. does something that seems simple, but is almost impossible to find anywhere online: he offers succinct, complete, thought-provoking posts on a regular basis. While it might take a lesser blogger dozens of paragraphs to reach their point, A.J. finds the core of an idea, gives it a new perspective, and delivers it without the fluff, still leaving the reader satisfied.
Recommended Posts: “Out of your comfort zone, no excuses.,” “Revisiting: Friendship is Valuable.”
Twitter: @AJ_Bingham
A big thanks to all of this year’s winners for their kind words and permission to mention them in this post on my li’l blog. Now what are you waiting for? Get reading!
