Top Blogs that Have not Linked to Conversation Agent

I'm a community builder and connector, so I look for opportunities to highlight worthy resources for business owners and colleagues who read this blog. In many cases, they may be other consultants and businesses that a traditional business would view as competitors.

You will find plenty of outbound links to other blogs and sites in my posts, and my Twitter strategy is almost completely based on sharing the content of others. I am always grateful when my peers consider the content I produce worthy of their attention.

Junta42 recently refreshed the list of Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs and they saw fit putting this blog among some of my favorites. Last year, Cision was kind enough to include Conversation Agent among the top 100 Social Media and Internet Marketing blogs. Invesp also compiled a list of Most Influential Marketers of 2009, as recommended by readers and peers.

Links are the currency of the Web, and I think the best way to show someone you value their contribution is by supporting their work.

Therefore here's a list of top blogs that have not (yet) linked to Conversation Agent as a way of opening communication lines. I encourage news media organizations to do some of this as well on their sites -- it's good to recognize the thought of others.

• Hubspot -- loving especially the posts by Kipp Bodnar
• Chris Garrett -- learn about new media from someone who has been practicing and teaching it for a while
• Dosh Dosh by Maki -- in depth analysis of how you can leverage digital media
• Master New Media by Robin Good -- a very complete resource about digital media
• Scobleizer -- Robert Scoble's passion for what's now and next in technology has few contenders
• Seth Godin -- he constantly challenges us to think harder about marketing
• Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel-- a very eclectic collection of thoughts on media and new communications
• Trey Pennington -- many a good idea here
• Web Strategist by Jeremiah Owyang -- lots of really good analysis on digital media from the customer's seat

In fact, there are hundreds of blogs I read and comment on regularly that have not linked to this site. This is a short list of recommendations for your reading and learning that would be a very good use of your time. This post was a bit tongue in cheek... a link would be nice though. After all, we're all connected.

UPDATE: I do read and respect these people a great deal. I picked the title and format to demonstrate a point, at the risk of being called bitchy (a woman is never assertive, BTW, you knew that, right?). If indeed you think this post reads wrong, as you might. Do you think it's okay to call out brands publicly for doing or not doing what *you* think they should be doing/not doing?

© 2010 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Dominic Litten]

I read the post like this:

1. I'm a community builder.
2. I link to a lot of you people.
3. Lots of important people have linked to me.
4. Here are sites who should link to me.
5. Just kidding.
6. Kinda.
7. But really, link to me.

Was that accurate?

[Valeria Maltoni]

In your desire to draw conclusions, you missed the central message in this post: you should read these blogs, they are really good resources for ideas and practical tips in the subject matter indicated.

Of course, you're free to read whatever is helpful to you.

[Sonny Gill]

Valeria, I totally know and see that you love pointing people to great content via Twitter or your blog and I get your point of wanting to direct people to check out some popular and resourceful blogs, but the premise of this post, IMHO, still feels and reads that it's about getting inbound links.

You mention that you read hundreds of blogs but pointing out top blogs that most people know of doesn't necessarily shine a better light on the tongue in cheek note of wanting links.

If the sole focus is to highlight blogs/resources that can help us in our everyday lives and careers, then I'm all for that. So no offense to your work, but I can't say that I agree with this one.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Long time since we've connected, Sonny. Hope your new job is going well. Perhaps you may have noticed, I like to run behavioral experiments on occasion.

Here's what I'm noticing, that when guys write controversial stuff, in many occasions calling people -- and brands -- out, it's all in good sportsmanship, to learn, right?

What don't you agree with? Is it the direct and honest way in which I say what I think? I'll pay specific attention to Twitter conversations and point out examples of what I'm seeing, if that is helpful.

Always interested in understanding what people perceive as boundaries not to cross and happy to update the post with examples, too.

[Dominic Litten]

Perhaps I came to my conclusion because of the headline, lede, most of the body, etc. It's not the gender of the author, but rather the manner in which it was written that gets me to comment.

I don't know which boundaries you speak of, but over-generalizations (PR is dead, SEO is dead, PR owns SM, etc.) usually get me to comment, as does blatant linkbait. I'd like to think, if I read something in those categories, I am pretty consistent with my remarks.

Good luck with your experiment.

[Chuck Hemann]

Hey Valeria - I've been stewing on this post all day trying to figure out how to comment and add my $0.02. I think you add value to your community, and the broader social media community every day. The insights you share here and on Twitter are, and will continue to be valuable for me.

That being said, I found this post to be an odd choice. In a lot of ways, you add as much if not more value then the folks you've listed here. Why not position this as a list of folks that YOU personally find valuable? Frankly, we probably already read many of these folks but a reminder wouldn't hurt. The way this is written it seems like you're desperate for more links. I'm assuming that's not the case given the number of inlinks you already have (if Site Explorer is at all accurate), but its the way I read it.

[Mars Dorian]

Great reminder, links are really the essence of online life blood !
Maki's Dosh Dosh, Seth Godin and Chris Garett
are really standard for me, I read them like I breathe the air....

Thinking of that, I should add my own list - sharing the link love.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Dominic - yes, I had a bit of a reaction to the "PR is dead" headline at the time :) Thank you for taking the time to come back to this conversation. I know I can learn from all of you. And on a personal level, I truly have a hard time writing anything that is controversial, too many years in corp America have me automatically look for the middle ground, even when my convictions are elsewhere.

@Chuck - perhaps you found the post out of character? The only desperate part of me is that which hopes that every child will have the opportunity to learn how to read and think independently. If we had not met in person, you would have probably also thrown the book at me. Thank you for the feedback, how something feels is very important, esp. in online writing.

@Mars - nice to meet you, virtually. Having just met Chris Garrett in person, I have an ever greater appreciation for him and his work. Glad the post prompted you to think about the writers you admire and read.

[Carolyn Ann]

I don't think this post was about incoming links. I think you were writing about the value of links. I also think that you were making a point about how bloggers and readers value those links; they're almost a replacement for personal reputation!

I also thought you were gently satirical about the whole thing. And you poked a little gentle fun at yourself and your fellow bloggers. Never having been accused of reticence, I'll simply say that if a reader thinks you were touting for inbound links, they're simply not reading: they're reacting.

The only sentence I tripped over was the passive one: "Junta42 recently refreshed the list of Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs and they saw fit putting this blog among some of my favorites." Parsing it took a moment.

To me, that's the danger of blogs: the reader skims. Is it the obligation of the blogger to cater to that, and reduce everything to a simplistic one-two-three, or can a grander, and/or more subtle, expression be employed, where questions are asked without being explicitly asked, linguistic conventions defied (not arbitrarily, I hasten to add) and thought is provoked? No one skims the New Yorker; if they do, they'll miss (more than) half of the beauty of the writing in the magazine. Sometimes a blogger has to employ the same techniques of literature: instead of blatant iteration, metaphor or allegory can be used, or she can go out on a limb and use unfamiliar, perhaps invented, literary devices and techniques. (Christopher Buckley immediately comes to mind.) Of course, the danger is that the readership decides it doesn't need that much work to do, or the potential reward, and they stop reading.

While I've warmed to Twitter, I still think it's dumbed expression not so much down, as tossed it through a high window of the nearest city skyscraper. It's replaced linguistic eloquence with Levittown and mole hills. David Byrne's question about what is beautiful notwithstanding. Nor considered worth answering.

(As an example of wonderful writing, I'll point to Jane Mayer's review of Marc Thiessen's "Courting Disaster" in the March 29 2010 edition of the New Yorker. Ms Mayer writes in a way that would be, at best, uncommon in a blog.)

[Sonny Gill]

Valeria - it's definitely been awhile. The new job is great and definitely keeping me busy and unfortunately away from Twitter and my blog for a bit, but will be back to it soon.

Appreciate your response and openness. I can respect you trying something different out and experimenting - and in the end, none of us really should tell the other of boundaries or where they lie. We can voice our opinions on our blogs/comments and at the least, like you said, learn from one another.

But from those learnings definitely comes people's perceptions and understanding of what works and what doesn't, as well.

[Jeff Esposito]

This is a very interesting point. It is unfortunate that you have to get on the defensive. If one skims, they get the assumption that you are just doing link bait, but a read shows the real reason.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Carolyn Ann - indeed if I do have a defect is that of being way too subtle and assuming people can appreciate nuances. One thing I do miss that I had in Europe. I agree with you, ultimately, it's the responsibility of the writer to make it simple to read. Hopefully, I continue to improve in that regard, without giving up the depth and richness of meaning I seek to explore. Reaction is easier than thoughtful response, it requires much less from the other party and places the burden of proof squarely on the content originator's shoulders. An expedient strategy. Thank you for the resource!

@Sonny - so glad to hear you've been productive. A mind is too beautiful an instrument to engage at less than it's capable of. Thank you for the encouragement. As Hugh says, ignore everybody, is a good time investment :)

[Valeria Maltoni]

Jeff:

I care about people, so I take care of helping them see more of what's behind the scenes. Interesting that you would see it "defensive", I guess it would be seen that way :) Thank you for adding to the conversation.

[Peter]

Here are some point where I'd chirp in:

"A mind is too beautiful an instrument to engage at less than it's capable of."

Yes - but music without practice is noise .

"I truly have a hard time writing anything that is controversial, too many years in corp America have me automatically look for the middle ground, even when my convictions are elsewhere"

But where is the line between controversial and middle ground? I suspect (and all know) many of things we take as self evident today were once controversial. For me, the middle ground is all to often the wasteland of our regret.

Peter

By the way, I find the whole linking thing to be more tribal than your profound notion of connecting ( to link to your latest entry).

Links look a lot like the way many bloggers mark their extended territory or tribe.

But, as always, happy to be wrong.

[Jon Burg]

Awesome. Just awesome.

[Kipp Bodnar]

Valeria,

Love the idea of this post. Thanks for writing it. Also, thanks for including HubSpot on you list.

How about doing a guest blog post for the HubSpot blog? All guest writers get links :).

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Peter - I'd see practice also as being expansive, thinking connectively. Another way of saying I don't wish to be controversial is I care about the people, even when there's evidence that they don't. Then again, some discussions are not worth the energy they take out of you :) Interesting thought about linking and tribal behavior.

@Jon - glad you enjoyed.

@Kipp - good of you to visit. I confess you are my most frequent/most topical read on Hubspot. Thank you for the invite to write. My challenge is often one of me, lots of projects...

[Chris Bailey]

Okay Valeria, I'll take your bait and suggest there might be another way to view this topic. Rather than aim upward toward these "top" blogs, hoping for *their* attention, why not choose to seek out brilliant and lesser known bloggers who could surely use the attention. You have well over 13k readers - why not use your power to share and expand your community?

No offense to you and the folks to whom you're trying to get attention, but let's be honest: not one of them is hurting for visibility.

Knowing you, I know its not your intent to perpetuate the elitist, "cool kid" perception of social media celebrity, but from an outsider's perspective it's how I read this post.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Chris:

You know, the tile of this post is factual, not judgmental. And so is the post, and honest. Yet, I cannot help but think your comment is quite judgmental.

Fact: I link to a ton of posts and articles on most posts.

Fact: I feature people who take the time to participate in the community. Some of them don't even have blogs.

Some posts you may have missed (since you talk about using influence):

http://www.conversationagent.com/about-you.html [feel free to get to know all the folks linked here]

http://www.conversationagent.com/2008/09/are-you-using-your-influence.html

http://www.conversationagent.com/2008/06/ive-done-it-all-wrong.html

Good hearing from you.