The power of positive bloggers

In an Internet filled to the brim with millions of voices it is sometimes hard to cut through the clutter and find one worth the attention. But fear not Rantaholics, for today I will introduce you to a few bloggers who use the power of positivity in their posts like a ninja sword, slicing through the mess of words of other bloggers leave in their path.

Each of these talented writers understand that a blog is more than a journal, more than just a place to gather your scattered thoughts, and use their words to further causes, events, help others to succeed, or just attempt to share knowledge they have picked up along the way. And while there are a few dozen on my speed dial, I will narrow it down to 4 for the sake of this post.

Annie Sorensen – As the purveyor of anniesorensen.com, Annie is the perfect example of how nice, genuine, kindhearted, energetic people will wind up taking over the world. Her blog contains post after post loaded with personal anecdotes in which she always ties in a life lesson she has learned and imparts on her readers in the hopes that they will be able to use what she’s discovered in their life. Annie has recently made the transition from corporate employee to becoming her own boss, and in reading the posts leading up to her last day in her cubicle, you just can’t help but feel a sense of pride and anticipation for her. Besides that, Annie is the single most, genuinely nice people in the social mediashpere today. If you are not already following her on Twitter or are her friend on Facebook, then you are missing out on a person who will engage with her followers and send words of encouragement or congratulations, depending on the situation. I highly suggest this blog and subscribing so as not to miss a post.

Chris Brogan – I have just begun to scratch the surface of chrisbrogan.com and let me tell you, I have miles to go until I get caught up and even farther still until my brain can process all of the information that man has on his blog. Chris is as close to a social media expert as their can be today and the casual yet commanding tone of his posts leave you wanting to run out in front of a speeding bus to try and stop it with your hands…that is how empowered you feel. His post range anywhere from raising awareness of childhood diseases, to informing business on where their consumers place most of their trust, to why he loves to blog. Do yourself a favor if you think you know anything about the world of social media, read Chris’ blog and then tell me what you thought you knew.

Andy Pinasco - Time to get local. Andy has quickly become one of my good friends in the local world of social media. We met first on Twitter, where it seemed like 140 characters could not contain this juggernaut of a man. His sense of humor ruffled feathers and somewhat masked the man behind the blue bird. So Andy did something many people are not willing to do these days and that was to unplug. He left the social mediashpere to gain some clarity and purpose. The one piece of Andy that survived his disconnect though, was brewery33.com, the home to his thoughts on important topics regarding his love of his city and his plans to do his part on resurrecting the image of the place where he lives. While you may not always agree with the delivery of his posts, please do not let that get in your way of understanding his purpose and passion. Andy is a valuable asset and an exceptional writer. His blog should be read with the same reverence in which it is crafted, and with the same intensity as he puts into every word of his piece.

Matt Beckwith – If you were to tell me one year ago that I would meet a man who shares the same vision as me, and had the resources and motivation to make it a reality, I would have stoned you for being crazy. But low and behold in August of 2009 I met such a man, and my life has not been the same since. Matt has been an inspiration to me since he first timidly walked up to me at the 2009 Beep Baseball World Series and introduced himself. He decided to single-handedly take on all the Stockton naysayers by starting Podcast Stockton, a podcast/blog about the great lives that people are living in Stockton, but not getting as much publicity as the bad stuff. In October he approached me with an offer I could not refuse to come on as a co-host/blogger and we haven’t looked back since. Matt built an empire which people will look back several years down the road and recognize as a turning point for Stockton and the way its citizens view their city; I am lucky to be on his team, and even more lucky to be his friend.

There you have it, four bloggers who deserve 10 minutes of your time everyday. I can assure you that it will not be time wasted.

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