The Power of 150

In my search to understand internet marketing and this current "groundswell", as Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff call this social technologies transformation (http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell), I recently came across the top 150 "power blogs" in marketing. Advertising Age, one of the prominent authorities in the marketing business, has complied this list at http://adage.com/power150/. In my enthusiasm to keep up with these social media gurus, I added several RSS feeds from their personal blogs to my Google Reader account; a new love I have also recently discovered.

Since last week when I set up these RSS feeds, I have received hundreds of articles, many of which I have not had time to read. But, the ones I have managed to stay current with have been fascinating. I have learned in this week that not only are these blogs sometimes more informative than my textbooks, but the feeds I receive them through have made researching and keeping up with the incoming news incredibly easy.

One blog I found particularly interesting, and from whom I have re-posted articles to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, is http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/. Jeremiah Owyang, a web strategist, has jumped into the conversation about social media, how it affects buisness, and what we can do to make it work for us. For example, his latest post, "The Three Spheres of Web Strategy" (http://tinyurl.com/qkph9m ) resembles something like a presentation you might hear at a buisness conference, sharing information for free with us about how to make your buisness better in this "groundswell" of information we find ourselves in every day. This is important to me as a student because I am engaged in it as a social medium, but also as a business tool. What are the affects of this for the business world? In some ways having a social media device that is open to the public is a glorified thing, but the fact that business can't control it, also makes it an incredibly scary thing. Learning how to successfully ride this fine line every day is an art. And, understanding how to perfect it is essential.

Another power blog I found helpful was by Matt McGee, who comments on search engines and social marketing at http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/. Understanding the collision between the search world and social media is powerful knowledge, especially when you understand how you can be found in black hole we casually call the Internet. Three magic words can turn any search around on this world wide web: Search Engine Optimization. Matt McGee writes good and useful information on these topics and more, originally intended for the small business owner, but useful for anyone attempting to understand how one's personal blog can be found world wide.

I have only named two blogs here that I follow in a list of close to thirty than I try to check daily. But perhaps the attitude we should all be taking is not quantity, but the quality of the information. After all, to be found on the web, you have to keep bringing the people back. This little, neglected blog is surely no example...but maybe someday it will be. Understanding social media in business and in personal life takes time, effort, and patience. But once you can master these social connections like Jeremiah Owyang and Matt McGee have, who at one time I'm sure knew just as much as I do, the possibilities are endless. Find a niche, gain your audience, and bingo. You have become an authority on your topic. So, keep powering those blogs, friends. You never know who is reading.