Perspective And Personality: Who You Should Be Following In The Blogosphere

I have a list of just four names for you. Four top bloggers that I think you should be following.

“Hang on”, you may be thinking, “what about the top 50?” But I’m not here to blitz you with content. I want you to be thinking more about quality than quantity. There is far too much information out there – take it from me. You have little to gain by hoovering up Joe Bloggs’ opinion on SEO tactics.

I know your time is just as valuable as mine, and as such, I want you to spend it reading only the best advice, from the best people.

The four bloggers below all have varying perspectives on blogging and life in general, but all share a common history in the sense that they got to where they are the hard way (i.e. the only true way). Moreover, they all have very distinctive and unique personalities, which to me is vital. No one should be reading bland old information from bland old writers.

So, without further ado…

The Big Four

Pat Flynn

Who else but Pat from Smart Passive Income? If you are at all familiar with my blog then you will know that I am a big fan of Pat’s. He was the guy that got me fully into internet marketing a few short months ago. I had flirted with the idea of making money online for many years, but it was his blog, and specifically his niche site duel, that galvanised me into action.

Pat is one of the nicest guys you will ever likely get to know (virtually). You simply cannot fake the honesty and commitment he has to helping others. He truly is one of the good guys, and still manages to keep in touch with his readers despite receiving an enormous amount of correspondence.

Glen Allsopp

Glen Allsopp is living the dream. Going back a few years he was working in a clothes store. Now he has a six figure income and is one of the most highly-respected internet marketers out there. And he is the first one to admit that he did this through sheer hard work, patience and determination.

In fact, I think that he underplays it at times. From what I have read, he started out with a very clear goal in mind (to make a living from internet marketing), and simply did not stop trying until he got there, regardless of the failures and setbacks that confronted him. Glen’s story is one we can all learn a lot from.

Head over to Glen’s blog, ViperChill, and check out his posts. He does not produce content that often, but when he does, it is of the best possible quality. When Glen has something to say, we should all be wise to sit up and take note.

Derek Halpern

I am a big fan of Derek’s. He is exactly the kind of no-bullshit, cut to the chase guy that I love to learn from. Just check out his video critiques of Pat Flynn’s and Corbett Barr’s blogs to get an idea of his approach. At no point was he patronising or condescending, but he stated exactly what Patt and Corbett needed to do to improve their blogs, without needing to sugar coat it.

Derek has a great blog over at Social Triggers, in which he explores the psychological side of internet marketing. As you may tell from visiting his blog, I have taken a lot of inspiration from his teachings in the design of my own.

Marcus Sheridan

Marcus may not be as well known as the three previous bloggers, but he rightfully takes his place on this list. I have only been reading his blog for a couple of months or so, but that has been time enough.

Marcus comes across as one of the most down-to-earth, charismatic and well-meaning guys you could hope to meet. When you combine that with someone who clearly knows what he is talking about, you have a great mix.

What is truly unique about Marcus is his business, which is offline. Yes – he doesn’t make money by talking about making money! He in fact part-owns a fibreglass pool installation company (apologies Marcus if I haven’t described that correctly!) and uses inbound marketing to generate more leads than he will ever need to achieve his goals.

His blog, The Sales Lion, provides an enormous amount of value – you could easily spend a day reading through his archives.

That’s All You Need!

I honestly believe that you could stick to the teachings on the above four blogs (and mine of course!) and become truly successful online. I know that the bulk of my learning has come from those four bloggers.

Now it’s time to thrown it open to you – who do you think should have made it onto the list that didn’t?