My “(1)” Blogs

I am a huge Google Reader addict.  Many times when I open my computer I’ll go directly to Google Reader before I go to Gmail just to see new blog posts.  I call this post “My (1) Blogs” because here are a list of blog posts I visit when I see the big blue “(1)” beside the Blog title–it means there is a new post waiting to be read.  And that (1) never turns to (2) because I read them immediately.  In other words, here is a short list of my favorite blogs (in no apparent order):

TheMineThatDataBlog – Kevin Hillstrom’s blog is a must-read for all multi-channel marketers, especially catalogers.  His provocative & thought-provoking posts are always forward-thinking.  I hold Kevin’s blog in such high regard, that we recently engaged him to do a Multi-Channel Forensics report for us.  Money well spent!

rkgblog – Our Search-Engine Marketing firm, the Rimm-Kaufman Group, writes an intelligent blog not just about search marketing but about all things online marketing.  From site usability to Web 2.0, they cover it all.  Not only does RKG have some of the best search technology in the business, but they have the most cost-effective business model for any online retailer.  Combined with that, Alan Rimm-Kaufman, Larry Becker, and George Michie are three of the nicest and smartest people you’ll ever meet in the business.

A VC – Fred Wilson’s old firm, Flatiron Partners, invested in my former company, Vindigo, and I have followed him ever since.  Strangely, Fred has become a mentor to me yet I have never met him personally.  His posts on everything from the Free Business Model to comments on the the successful players in the Web arena as platforms, not Web sites (see twitter) have shaped how I market online, and use the Web.

Jay Shaffer Speaks Out – My current boss (a former colleague of Jay’s at wine.com) introduced me to Jay Shaffer.  Jay writes an interesting blog for his current employer, powerreviews.com (a partner of Wine Enthusiast’s) extolling the virtues of customer reviews and social navigation.  Plus, he pulls no punches when it comes to their competitor, BazaarVoice.

StrumErika – My colleague, Erika Strum, writes a great blog about food & wine.  I highly recommend you visit. I don’t care what Wine-ing 2.0 has to say about her, I appreciate her drivel.

EmailYogi – I met Sundeep Kapur of NCR at a DM Days conference in NYC last year.  Austen Bliss of FreshAddress.com invited us both to sit on a panel to discuss email marketing.  Sundeep’s an extremely bright man, gives a great presentation, and he and his teams’ blog posts about email marketing keep me on my toes.

The Catalog Chronicles Blog – a new entrant into the blogosphere. I’m happy to see someone blogging exclusively about catalogs that is not named Catalog Choice.  Catalogers are going through a very interesting period right now, and Tom Kothman’s posts already have me hooked.

455 Girls – Last but not least, my sister (Hope Edelman, a renowned best-selling author) recently joined the blogosphere.  Since she lives 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles, I look forward to updates about my 2 nieces and the progress of her new book.  I only hope I can write half as well as her!