Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers [Hardcover]

Michael A. Banks (Author)

Book Description

| Publication Date: December 10, 2007

Among more than 102,000,000 blogs, a few stand out as influential, ground-breaking, and singularly successful. These thirty bloggers, who write about everything from business trends to parenting, have been featured in Wired magazine, Popular Science, and on CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and 20/20. In one-on-one conversations with Michael A. Banks, these innovative, creative thinkers have shared their tactics, their philosophies, what drives them, how they mine for subject matter, and their personal secrets for success. Come and learn from the masters.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

They've gained a loyal following that continues to grow. They write about everything from business trends and the inner workings at Microsoft to parenting tips, personal secrets, and prolonging the life of your vehicle. They're passionate about their subjects and about the free expression of blogging. And they're even more passionate about being passionate.

They are thirty of the nation's most successful bloggers, and their stories and secrets—in their own words—fill these pages.

Technorati lists well over 102 million blogs, yet in such a sea of content, these bloggers stand out. Their voices are heard, their words are read, and their messages have an impact. In this fascinating and intimate look at the blogosphere, these influential and innovative individuals tell you what it takes to achieve blogging success.

If you've even thought about starting a blog, you can't afford to miss this wisdom.

the bloggers

• Dave Taylor The Intuitive Life Business Blog

• Chris Anderson The Long Tail

• Gina Trapani Lifehacker

• Ina Steiner AuctionBytes

• Mary Jo Foley All About Microsoft

• Dave Rothman TeleRead

• Frank Warren PostSecret

• Mike Masnick Techdirt

• Mark Frauenfelder BoingBoing.net

• Robert Scoble Scobleizer

• Peter Rojas Engadget

• John Neff Autoblog

• Ken Fisher Ars Technica

• Deborah Petersen Life in the Fast Lane

• Joel Comm JoelComm.com

• Brian Lam Gizmodo

• Kristin Darguzas ParentDish

• Chris Grant Joystiq

• Scott McNulty The Unofficial Apple Weblog

• Philipp Lenssen Google Blogoscoped

• Brad Hill Weblogs, Inc.

• Steve Rubel Micro Persuasion

• Rebecca Lieb ClickZ

• Deidre Woollard Luxist

• Gary Lee An Internet Marketing Web Site

• Richard MacManus Read/WriteWeb

• Eric T. Internet Duct Tape

• Victor Agreda DIY Life

• Steve Garfield Steve Garfield's Video Blog

• Grant Robertson Download Squad

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

"One of the true beauties and powers of blogs is that they can give voice to people who are not heard."
—Frank Warren, PostSecret
postsecret.blogspot.com

"Don't write anything in a blog that you wouldn't say to someone face to face."
—Scott McNulty, The Unofficial Apple Weblog
www.tuaw.com

"For me, the future of journalism is blogging."
—Mary Jo Foley, All About Microsoft
blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/

"I do my best thinking via my blogs."
—Chris Anderson, The Long Tail
www.thelongtail.com

"When I look out at the blogosphere, I don't see lots of inconsequential blogs. I see lots of possibility."
—Gina Trapani, Lifehacker
www.lifehacker.com

why do they blog?

It's addictive. It consumes an incredible amount of time, energy, and effort. It is their passion. And these bloggers wouldn't have it any other way.

Among more than 102,000,000 blogs, a few stand out as influential, ground-breaking, and singularly successful. These thirty bloggers have been featured in Wired magazine, Popular Science, and on CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and 20/20. In one-on-one conversations with Michael A. Banks, these innovative, creative thinkers have shared their tactics, their philosophies, what drives them, how they mine for subject matter, and their personal secrets for success. Come and learn from the masters. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (December 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00121TLHO
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,140,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Full-time freelance writer. Hobbies and interests include model building, travel, dogs, language, classic cars, the blues, collecting books and old toys, old radio, and history in general. Author of the New York Times bestseller "CROSLEY: Two Brothers and a Business Empire that Transformed the Nation," "Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the Web's Top Bloggers" and 41 other books.

Available to speak at trade shows, corporate events, training sessions, writers' conferences, and other events on product development and marketing, broadcast history (esp. Ruth Lyons), Crosley cars, WLW, and other topics. Contact banksbook at yahoo dot com or crosleybook at aol dot com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Blogging Heroes" Opened My Mind, March 15, 2008

By 

Roger Corn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers (Hardcover)

I found "Blogging Heroes" to be a really inspirational book that introduces the reader to many of the pioneers of blogging. As someone who is not a hard-core technical person, it was refreshing to learn the variety of blogs and get a glimpse into their world from the inside. You will probably recognize several of the blogs and enjoy finding out their origins and what motivates the people that breath life into them.

Some of the blogs profiled started as magazines first; others were born online. Some are run professionally by trained journalists; others are run as hobbies during spare time. All of the profiles, though, were interesting. I often found myself at the end of each chapter thinking, "That is so cool. What that person did!"

As you read the book, you'll easily notice patterns in the advice, motivations and other factors that were keys to these bloggers' success. By the end of the book, you'll have a very concise list of what to do if you want to get started blogging (or improve your current blog).

Michael Banks style is great. "Blogging Heroes" is very easy to read with each of the 30 chapters devoted to one interview. I read the book one or two chapters each night before bed. It was perfect for that kind of reading- chapters are under 10 pages long; so, you can always finish one in about 10 minutes.

I recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more about the world of blogging from a personal level.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Are you a blogging hero?, January 26, 2008

By 

Bruce Reyes-Chow "embracing the gray" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers (Hardcover)

I "had" to burn the rest of a Borders gift card, so aimlessly wandering the aisles I picked up Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers and started thumbing through it. I have just started reading but so far this book of interviews with top bloggers is really good.

For you BLOGGING addicts . . . you will get two things out of the book. One, articulation/affirmation for some the practices and approaches that you already integrate into your blogging. And, two, a few nuggets and aha's that will seem so obvious, but you never knew.

For you BLOGGING newbies . . . you will get two things as well. One, you will benefit from the real-life experiences from real-life-bloggers about art and practice of blogging. And, two, it becomes painfully clear how NOT imposing blogging can be. These are pretty much regular Joe's who have found a way to share their knowledge and opinions and a significant number of people who care to read them.

Not everyone should/cold be a blogging hero. There will be some limitations based on focus area, writing ability, intent and in my case, gray matter, but regardless of your blogging status, this is a good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major Reporting Achievement, January 21, 2008

By 

Randall E. McNutt (Hamilton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers (Hardcover)

"Blogging Heroes" by Michael Banks has fascinated me since I first saw its intriguing cover. After I started reading it my enthusiasm grew, and I decided to pick up tips from each blogger. Bank's smooth writing helps. The nice thing is that each blogger tells his own story, so as a reader you can pace yourself and absorb each person's ideas. The depth of reporting is terrific. But the book is more than a reporting achievement. It is also a historical one, for in the future these people will be considered pioneers in their field. As for a blogging novice like me, the book inspired me to start my own blog. Previously, I had heard a lot about blogging, but I never felt moved to do anything with it. Banks writes with such passion and knowledge, and his interviewees certainly show it. I thought it was time for me to try it. I'd recommend the book to anyone who has wanted to enter the world of blogging but never had the spark to get started. This book will light that spark!