My Blogging Favorites & What I’ve Learned

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ?Spark an Idea Thursday?. Each week we?ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to?grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired! The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is Spark an Idea About a Favorite Blogger.
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I’ll bet you’re a blogger; most of us around Sparkplugging are.  I’d also be willing to bet you’ve got some favorite bloggers you like to follow and have learned things from them along the way.   So, I’m going to (somewhat briefly) share some of my favorite bloggers and what I have learned from them.  I’ll also encourage you to do the same thing and link back to this post.  Let’s get a little appreciative link love going on!

The Inspired Room Blog

If you like delicious, luscious interior eye candy, you’ve got to check out The Inspired Room Blog!  The author, Melissa, and I met through an interior redecorating certification program.  We discovered we lived in the same city (back then) and we met for coffee.  I’m happy to say she is a great inspiration, and a wonderful friend.  Not only that, she’s one fantastic blogger!

What I’ve learned: I’ve learned about making a blog post gorgeous and useful at the same time.  I’ve also picked up some various useful html code from her sidebars.  Melissa is also extremely talented in building a strong and thriving community.  I’ve also learned you can be a nice person and still get ahead (yay!).

Problogger’s Darren Rowse

When I started blogging, I ran across Darren’s blog and was astounded at the depth of information it contained.  I had an opportunity to interview and meet him last year at BlogWorld.  It was a huge honor to chat with him, as his blog has been a tremendous help to me.

What I’ve learned: I’ve learned how to make my blog better in a month, how I can see if my enewsletter is really doing well and many techy tricks to numerous to mention.  Darren is great at sharing information on how he does what he does, and putting it out there for the good of all the blogosphere.  He’s a trailblazer, and well known in the blogging and social media arenas.

SimpleMom

I’ve been a fan since the early days!  Tsh, the author, has a keen eye for simple design and lifestyle.  Her approach to simple living and straightforward solutions rock.  (And she’s going to be on our podcast, The O Myth soon!)

What I’ve learned: Simple is better.  I’ve also learned there are many who believe (as I do) that sometimes the simplest things are best.

Sparkplug CEO

You know them: Wendy Piersall and Kelly McCausey.  I used to read Sparkplugging when it was eMomsAtHome.  So, when Wendy gave me the opportunity to write a series of articles for her site, I was star struck and extremely flattered.  I didn’t know it at the time, but it would segue into blogging for Sparkplugging.com!

I “met” Kelly as a fellow author here on Sparkplugging.com.  She’s an inspiration to watch, and one who feels so strongly about doing right by the work-at-home-mom community.

What I’ve learned: If you don’t know it, Wendy is a talented networker.  She’s at the center of the party, and knows everyones’ names.  She is also a fierce businesswoman who knows what she wants and goes after it.  Wendy has showed me that giving for the sake of giving is something that is not only the right thing to do, but it will come back 100-fold.  Wendy’s passion and drive is amazing to watch!

Kelly has taught me about marketing and standing for what you believe in – passionately!  She is an early adopter of podcasting (or “internet radio” back in ‘da day…) and has an incredible knowledge of the medium.  (I LOVED her class at SparkplugU!)  Kelly’s passion and fearless ability to defend her convictions is empowering.

So, what blogger inspires you, and what have you learned?