Conversational Media Marketing

On this day which Darren Rowse unofficially inaugurated as Blogger Appreciation Day, I must needs express mine.

I appreciate Toby Bloomberg who was the first business blogger I ever met in real life (2004). We shared a great conversation in a "biker" bar (and that's all I'm saying about that. Some things are best left between friends. :->)

I appreciate Shawn Zender-Lea. We dreamed some big dreams for a southern blog network over gyros in a restaurant in Jackson, MS in 2004.

I appreciate Susie Gardner, who let me serve as Technical Editor on Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies. That was eight For Dummies books ago, including a second volume with Susie, Blogging For Dummies, 2nd edition. (2005)

I appreciate Lisa Sabin-Wilson, who handled most all my blog design work during my tenure as founder and president of Radiant Marketing Group, my one-man marketing company. (2004-2006)

I appreciate Blog Business Summit and Steve Broback who let me be a "sponsor," even though it cost me nothing (2005).

I appreciate all those who believed in a vision I had for a professional blogging association. (2005) In fact, I appreciate those who didn't as well.

I appreciate Jason Calacanis who was willing to hire me to blog for Weblogs Inc. (2005) The funds that came in from that job kept me afloat. I appreciate Peter Levinson at AllBusiness.com who allowed me to blog there as well.

I appreciate Richard Nacht who brought me on to parter with him to start Blogging Systems (2005).

I appreciate the fact that, due to that partnership, I was standing in the right place at the right time so that an acquisition editor from McGraw-Hill, Dianne Wheeler, was able to open the door for the first blogging book to target a particular industry vertical, Realty Blogging. Richard and I were co-authors. (2006)

I appreciate Zane Safrit who, to this day, is a dear friend and fellow member of the "2 Smooth Summits" duo. He and I first met at Blog Business Summit.

I appreciate all the clients I served via my Radiant Marketing Group days. You were forerunners and blogging entrepreneurs. I especially appreciate J D Iles, who I still believe is a model for all small business bloggers.

I appreciate Rick Bruner for authoring what I considered to be the leading blog about business blogging that ever was, Business Blog Consulting. And I appreciate the fact he listened to me when I said he should not let it die. I also appreciate Stephan Spencer for keeping it alive to this day.

I appreciate Tris Hussey, whom I referred to as my little blogging brother. He's the real deal. He's lived professional blogging in the trenches and proved you could make it as a blogger.

I appreciate Andy Wibbels, Anita Campbell, Bill Flitter, BL Ochman, Dana Vanden Heuvel, Denise Wakeman, Des Walsh, Jane Genova, John Jantsch, Michelle Miller, Steve Rubel, Wayne Hurlbert, Yvonne DiVita and all the "class of 2004-2005" bloggers.

I appreciate all my RE.net (real estate) blogging friends, espcially , Dustin Luther and Ines Hegedus-Garcia. You've shown your appreciation time and again for the book. To this day I'm humbled by the response you gave it. And all of you at Active Rain where you let a non-Realtor hang out, even appreciating the fact I was there...you rock!

I appreciate Jim Turner who took my idea for a blogger recruiting agency and ran with it.

I appreciate other friends I've met along the way like Dave Taylor, Andy Beal and Rick Calvert.

I appreciate the "new" crop of bloggers who, though many of them have been around as long or longer than me, I'm only now getting the opportunity to come to know.

Basically, in case you hadn't figured it out, I'm very appreciative of bloggers in general. Just that, on this day, some are especially deserving of thanks and praise.

If you think this post is just linkbait, then you don't know me very well. The doors that blogging has opened and the people (these and many others) I've met along the way...well, I'm deeply appreciative for both the journey and friendships. The lessons those I've encountered have taught me are invaluable and have impacted me both personally and professionally.   

So, who are you appreciative of? Feel free to share your list in a comment or on a post of your own.