Welcome to the eighth edition of the Friday Five! Admittedly I haven’t been getting around the blogosphere quite so much lately, but when I do, there never seems to be a lack of interesting blogs to link to. So let’s see what I stumbled onto this week!

As always if you write a great blog or just know of one that you think deserves a spot in the Friday Five, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line.

• Geeks of Doom – A fantastic multi-author blog featuring a little bit of everything. Comic reviews, movie news and reviews, music news, contests and more can be found at Geeks of Doom. You don’t even need to be a geek to enjoy everything they have to offer.
• Pink is the New Blog – If you’re someone who can’t get enough celebrity gossip and news, this is definitely a blog that’s right up your alley. The tagline says it all – “Everybody’s business is my business”.
• NFL Power Rankings – If you’re a die-hard fan of NFL football and can’t get enough of stats, I think I’ve stumbled upon just the site for you.
• A Cool Friday – If you have a soft spot for blogs that are not quite so wordy, often more visual and always entertaining, A Cool Friday is a great way to spend a little free time at the end of a long work week.
• Just Creative Design – Authored by a graphic and web designer, JCD focuses on design tips and resources spanning many forms of design, such as print, web, logos and much more.

Categories: Friday Five

It seems just when you think you’re back to your old self, a herd of angry germs attack you and render you sick and useless for two weeks. At least that seems to be my story these past couple weeks.

But hey! Let’s see if we can get the Friday Five kicked back into gear once again, shall we? Welcome to volume 7 of our little link love series.

As always if you write a great blog or simply know of one you love to read, don’t hesitate to drop a line and let us know about it!

• Inkweaver Review – If you’re an avid reader and are always looking for that next great book to read, perhaps you’ll find something special here.
• Keep Designing – Chock full of fantastic free vector art and photoshop goodies you can use in your next great blog and website designs. Keep Designing also features graphic design case studies and tutorials.
• Where the Long Tail Ends – A movie review site dedicated to old, possibly obscure or just plain awful films that have fallen by the wayside.
• OrangeInks – A site dedicated to finding all the useful services and gadgets around the web, which make our internet lives easier.
• Bloody Computer! – Offering clear and simple advice to deal with many common Windows problems.

Categories: Friday Five

10 Questions with Sy of The Wheel is Turning, but the Hamster is Dead

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
The site is a testament to a man who used to have a lot of time on his hands. It is a mash up of various types of posts, all dependent on what is going on in the world at the time. The site is universal, and I try to make it acceptable for the majority by not writing posts that may offend on purpose. I try to write in “plain” English rather then use crazily long words that make people think. The site is not about thinking, but is more about mindless escapism.

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
It’s a Kind of Magic. Possibly of the Mushroom Kind.

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
I don’t think I can say I am set apart from other bloggers. I read many other blogs, and am astounded at the quality of the blogs out there that can post day after day. If anything, it is that I make a point of replying to every single comment, and try to strike up online friendships by email with my readers by actively encouraging them to contact me off of the site.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
I used to read a lot of IT news sites, and always “had something to say”, but humour was always my thing in life and decided in December 2007 to give it a go just after being burgled and wanting to vent about it. I put a humour angle on it, and the site went from there.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
Having the time to create content people want to read, and having the time to get my site out there and get new readers. I have found promoting my blog a hard task as my home life has changed and the time I have to surf has decreased.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
Stats. Be it Feedburner or Statcounter, it is important for me to know that people are reading my site. After all, I spend a lot of time writing posts, so it would be sad to know that no one is reading it.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?
Ade Edmondson. A lot of people wouldn’t know of him, but he is a UK TV star. His comedy has me in tears and I would love to see what he could do on a post. If his posting skills are half as good as his acting and script writing, my site would benefit many times over, as would my readers.

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
I cannot say that it has made me a better person per say. If anything, it has made me painful to my wife in my constant attempts to write good humour posts and bugging her asking her if she thinks it is OK. Of course, she always says yes, but I think it is because she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings!

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Do not become obsessed with stats. People will come if you get your name out there, and there is no such thing as a thousand hits a day 3 posts in to your blog! And cut down on the ads. Do you want to write a site, or do you want to make a lot of money? If it is the money, then you need to look elsewhere. I have no ads at all on my site. Enjoy writing your posts and do not let yourself turn in to the perfectionist. Trust me, it makes each post harder and harder!!

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
It’s a Funny Thing…
I love Don’s posts. The photo manipulation makes me incredibly jealous, while making me very happy that I found his site. He seems to have an abundance of posts available which makes visiting there a pleasure.

Categories: Humor, Personal, Ten Questions

The Blog – Pepperjam Network creates mutually beneficial relationships between affiliates and advertisers. Their Pepperjam Network Blog is loaded with helpful tools for the affiliates – free internet marketing advice, money making tips, and the latest news about Pepperjam Network.

The Blogger – Kris Jones, a search-engine and affiliate marketing expert, is President and CEO of Pepperjam.

A Post We Luv – BlogsWeLuv contributor Garry Conn was interviewed as part of Pepperjam Network’s “Meet the Affiliates” series.

Categories: Blog Spotlight, Blogging, Business & Career

10 Questions with Billy of Online Business Logic

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
I’ve been blogging on and off for several years now on a range of subjects from mountain biking to network marketing, but I’ve never been fully focused and persistent. I’m engaged to be married next year and have a 3 month mountain bike tour planned as our honeymoon, so I needed to consolidate my businesses. I decided to start this blog as a way to focus my energies and ideas, and to share what I have learned about online business over the past 6 years. I discuss and teach marketing, business, and web design and although my blog is quite young, the feedback I’m getting is awesome!

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
Using WordPress to Build Websites as a CMS
I’m trying to give as much pure content as I can with this blog. I’ve been designing websites commercially since 1999, so I’m hoping to give back a lot of the knowledge I’ve picked up from the online community.

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
There are plenty of bloggers in the Internet marketing niche, and there are plenty of very techie developers blogging out there, but I hope that I manage to bridge that gap. Although there are certainly technical elements to some of my posts, I try not to assume too much technical background and always try to appeal to newbies while still giving content with real depth to it.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
I honestly can’t remember when I first discovered blogging. I guess my first blog was of a 900 mile solo cycle trip I did in 2002, but I didn’t use a blogging platform – just updated the HTML each day! Can’t imagine doing that now. Life without Wordpress wouldn’t be the same at all!

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
It’s amazing to me how many people still spam out there, same with forums. You can be sure that every single day you get single one line comments or forum posts from people you never hear from again, just looking for that quick link rather than engage in the conversation.

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
Soooo many to choose from. I certainly wouldn’t want to be without Askimet, Simple tags is great (and simple just like it says!) but my number one would have to be WP_CodeShield which is such a help on a blog like mine which includes sample code from time to time.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog, who would it be and why?
I guess it would have to be Larry Page – so much of what I read on blogs is speculation about Google and their algorithms. It would be great to hear it ’straight from the horses mouth’!

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
Blogging has definitely given me a new focus and commitment. I try to be consistent with my posts, and plan ahead – something I need to do more of with the rest of my business and life!

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Engage in a conversation – encourage and reply to comments, get inside your reader’s heads and find out what they want. If you can deliver content that is exactly what your visitors want, you’ll be a massive success!

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
Internet Business Mastery
OK so I know it’s a podcast primarily but these guys put out such great content and are the only ones in my niche who really focus on mindset and goals… plus they are genuinley funny – that’s important too!

Categories: Blogging, Business & Career, Technology, Ten Questions

Welcome to volume number six of the Friday Five! Yes, I know there’s been a bit of an absence and I apologize for that.

Between moving into a new home, various personal issues and a massive bout of blogger burnout, I’ve unfortunately let my blogging responsibilities fall to the wayside. Here’s a good start at getting things back on track!

As always, if you’re the author of a great blog or just know of one that you think should be featured here in the Friday Five, please don’t hesitate to let us know about it!

• Paula’s Playground – Perhaps you may remember Polli from Polliwog’s Pond? Well this is her new blogging home and she’d love for you to stop by and say hello!
• The Candy Blog – If you like candy, you’ll love this blog featuring meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world.
• 200 Characters – The concept of this blog is really quite simple – each post contains prose in 200 characters or less.
• Strange New Products – A look at the weirdest, funniest, stupidest, and ingenious new products entering the marketplace. Unfortunately this blog seems quite dormant right now, but there’s still plenty of old content to read.
• GameDrift – A great place for news and reviews catering to both console and PC gaming enthusiasts.

Categories: Friday Five

The Blog – Debt Free Hispanic is a personal finance blog chock full of tips for paying off debt and building wealth.

The Blogger – Debt Free Hispanic lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife. Following methods taught by Dave Ramsey, he has become debt free except for his mortgage.

A Post We Luv – Being a huge Dave Ramsey fan myself, I just have to shine the spotlight on Another One Bites the Debt. I hope you’ll be just as inspired as I am by listening to Tredessa from Waco, Texas announce that she is debt free!

Categories: Blog Spotlight, Finances

Meet Julie of Julie’s Journal. If you’re into social networking you may have already met Jules, she’s pretty active at Digg and StumbleUpon. Or maybe you were at last year’s PostieCon in Las Vegas? Or maybe you’ve been to one of Zappo’s rocking parties and met her there. And you might just recognize her and her hubby from the first postie wedding thrown by PayPerPost (aka Izea.) Or maybe, just maybe, this is the first time you’ve met Julie.

Julie is an all around fun kind of friend to have. I can count her for a good Skype chat when she’s online, and we can talk about all sorts of things from the latest internet craze to how she rocks the house playing Rock Band with her hubby and teenage sons.

Her latest adventures include her son’s cute new chihuahua puppy, attending the Zappo’s vendor party, and cleaning out her huge book stash and selling them on Amazon.com. Looking for a book? Julie might just have it in her mountain of books for sale this month.

Julie’s Journal is what a I love in a personal blog, it’s fun, up beat, and realistic. There’s no over the top insanity, and there’s no fluff or padding, just a real gal living in the real world in Las Vegas. Enjoy hanging out at Julie’s, and BYOB.

Categories: Personal, Reviews