Once and Future Heroes 2003

I've taken it upon myself to compile a list of people who are doing good things for the Internet, for blogging, and helping those of us who are slightly tech-impaired to do our thing online. You may or may not have heard of some of these people, because I'm all over the 'Net in a lot of different interest groups. Yes, I'm a writer, a blogger, but also a businessperson and activist. I have four blogs, four static websites, and belong to offline groups related to tech/business issues, both in Yuma, my hometown, and Arizona.

I'll be doing a list like this at one of my other blogs for activist issues, but this one here at WOLves will be devoted to writers/tech/business. This is my way of saying thank you to the many people that have helped me along. That's one reason I'm so passionate about blogging and RSS. The community has been helpful and instructive, and there's a great spirit of teamwork and welcoming, which was lost somewhere when the Internet went commercial. The Internet is no longer boring or exclusionary thanks to these people! You probably have your own list of heroes...

Here they are, in no particular order:

Loren Baker -- Blog Search Engine -- making a start at organizing blogs by subject, and helping bloggers promote their blogs and learn new things

Wayne Hurlbert -- helping to promote blogging in the business community, as well as teaching bloggers how to promote

Doc Searls -- insight, spirit, heart. He understands blogging in a way nobody else does!

Dave Winer -- bringing blogs to the world. Inventor of Radio Userland and a true visionary. The #1 Dave. -- really!

Dean Esmay -- he's helped many out of the morass that is Blogger. He and his wife Rosemary would probably be friends of ours if we still lived in Michigan.

Mark Fletcher -- Bloglines. This web-based aggregator is one of the most useful tools available. he says, "You shouldn't have to even think about the RSS feeds."

Dougal Campbell -- Inventor of the ping site form, which enables us to activate our RSS feeds and anounce our changes, without needing to know any code.

Dan Gillmor -- bringing blogging to the mainstream, and also explaining it back to the tech guys

Glenn Reynolds -- the Instapundit. I'm willing to bet he had a lot to do with getting blogs out of the arena of the navel-gazers, and putting blogs to more-practical use.

Robert Scoble -- He's done a lot to make Microsoft approachable and less like a monolith. An all-round nice guy, who teaches and informs along the way.

The Blog-City Team -- Ceri Moran, Andy Wu, Alan Williamson take a personal interest in their Blog Citizens and daily (or even more often) demonstrate that there is no stupid question. They have reinstituted the idea of tech support, and provide real help and practical encouragement.

The Type Pad Team -- Giving Moveable Type to the masses. My dog could probably launch his own blog at Type Pad, but fortunately for all of us, he doesn't have any hands. ;>)

Ann Handley at Marketing Profs -- Smart lady who understands the fluid nature of marketing. Actually anybody at MP has good, reliable information, but I choose her because she answers her e-mail right away, and is always genuinely interested in reader input.

Debbie Weil -- Responsible for my 'Eureka!" moment. Her "5 Key Questions" piece at Marketing Profs put it all in focus for me.

Sid Stafford -- responsible for Carnival of the Vanities, which helps new bloggers let the world know they're out there. Check his site for other spin-offs.

Chris Pirillo -- the guy who pronounced e-mail dead. Dead, that is, as a marketing device. I think he's right!

Comments

[Wayne Hurlbert]

Thanks for mentioning my business blog and me, on your list of influential bloggers.

You should be included on that list as well. When I wrote a post about your list, I included you!