My Picks for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs - (complete list)

It was late last year when I participated in Janette Toral's Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2008. Now, the competition is in its third year, and is made possible by the following sponsors, Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati, Lucio C. Tan Group of Companies, and Blog4Reviews.com.

There are several blogs I would like to recommend but most of them don't qualify because they have been created before May 1, 2008, which is one of the major criteria.

This has made my selection more difficult because I have to go around the blogosphere, read blogs and determine if the criteria are met. I do have blogs which aptly fill out the recommended requirements; for this, I have listed them first.

After going around a bit, I came up with my complete list. Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2009:

1. The Struggling Blogger

This blog is owned by Roy dela Cruz, a loving father cum doting mother to his 3 children. I always call him, the "indomitable" blogger because of what he writes and how he writes his articles. There's a certain, wanton angst in his undaunted words. But mind you, he's not only that - he has a sweet side too - he's a poet and a short story writer. Now, can you beat that? A Jekyll and Hide? lol. Just kidding , Roy. I know you've got the bird's eye view of this man. If not, then visit his 13 blogs -yes 13!-( the others are multiply accounts), and you'll surely comprehend the conundrum of this man behind these blogs.

Here are his informative and well written blogs:

• Be Inspired Now!
• Etsetera! Etsetera!
• Kapampangan Blog
• Letters To Mama
• Money OnLine
• more than just copy-paste
• REFLECTIONS
• Roysville dot Com
• Short Stories Blog
• Subukan Taya Ing Kapampangan!
• Sugar Coated World
• The Gospel Of Roy
• The House Of Puroy
• The House Of Puroy Enterprises
• The Struggling Blogger dot Com

I am a witness also, to how his blogs grew slowly but steadily into popular blogs in the blogosphere. He has now an increased readership and is fast becoming a blog to beat; hence this endorsement. Way to go, Roy!

2. Zorlone

Dr. Lorenzo Bernardino known in the blogging world simply as Zorlone is now considered one of the top ranking blogs in the creative writing division of Entrecard.

He says : "I am a specialist in Internal Medicine.
This blog will be dedicated to my other passion, writing. Starting a practice in medicine sure gave me a lot of time to write. While waiting for patients to come, I found myself typing articles for helium and for this blog."

And true enough, he is not only a competent doctor but a superb poet and a short story writer as well. He has already won writing contests sponsored by other blogs and writes for two great sites - Helium and Triond where his articles are excellently ranked .

I have seen how his blog grew from one reader -that's me - to a well read blog in just a matter of months.

His blog is only 4 months old but he has 41 followers to date, and his posts are very well commented on. I have now to wait in line to be able to comment... lol... I could only have one appropriate word for this occurrence - a "Phenomenal" event!

I have no qualms in recommending ZORLONE as one of the Top 10 emerging influential blogs.

3. Writing to Exhale

I chanced upon Jan's blog when I was reading Roy's comments. Jan has this certain jocularity and profoundness rarely seen in writers. I came out laughing - but more informed - from his post: Sex Taught Me All the Things I Need to Know About Blogging.

Sometimes he gets more than a dozen comments in his posts. There is a certain "charisma" that a reader can't ignore.

He writes with flair and aplomb and I admire him for such boldness. The blogosphere needs writers like Jan - not fearful to express their - sometimes - scathing and atypical thoughts.
Informative articles about diverse topics ranging from blog contests to The Lost Art of Being Silly, and many more extraordinary posts are featured in his blog.

His blog deserves a vote for this contest.

To Jan -Kudos to you!

4. LifeLots

IRENE is the author of LIFELOTS, an upcoming blog which inspires and motivates its readers to live life to the fullest.

At her young age (19 yrs), Irene speaks with so much wisdom and a startling conviction about vital topics that only adults are supposed to know of.

She says: "No regrets, just lessons learned..."

With her jovial disposition and unfaltering optimism, she is a blogger worth visiting. Don't just drop and run though, for there is so much wisdom you can glean from her posts.

HERE'S ONE ARTICLE I STRONGLY RECOMMEND FOR YOU TO PONDER ON. It is entitled: Interpret tough experience as an exercise in compassion.
This is only one of the various topics in her inspiring collection.

Hop over her site and peruse her posts and you'll understand what I mean.

Irene, keep holding a torch for those wayward souls who have given in to apathy and indifference. The blogosphere needs you!

5. Father Blogger Dot Com

Angel Cuala is the formidable man behind this blog.

Like most fathers, he writes passionately about his family and how to be a successful family man both emotionally and financially as well.

He has that unfaltering faith in God that makes him meet the challenges that life has to offer. read his post about family : "Battered Wives: Not Just a Problem of Physical Abuse" and "Blogging Tips".

You should visit his blog and learn from his first hand experiences.

He says : "Being a former street child who was raised without a mother, my advocacy now is to help all families to stay together and be happy. This is very far from what I used to do, but this is very close to my heart."

This blogger who has triumphantly hurdled numerous "trials" that life assailed him with, deserves a vote from everyone!

Keep going Angel, we'll always be praying for you.

6. Dear Bloggery

I just had the pleasure of "meeting" Snow from Roy's post and I am delighted to see how lovely she is...lol.... But there is more behind those sparkling eyes, the lady has a lot inside her dura matter .

I visited her blog and she has a lot to offer with regards to being updated with current events, local news and many more interesting stories.

Snow has this to say for herself: "I am currently working in a multinational firm but loves to write about anything under the sun. I also like a lot of stuffs but digs on reading, web surfing, travelling, shopping and writing as my major hobbies."

She is fast gaining friends in the blogging world and is starting to exert some influence which would soon be felt by many bloggers, for sure. Right on, and keep writing Snow!

7. Life of a Teenage Writer

Izzy Daniels is the author of this blog.

"I've picked up a love for writing, and enjoy other activities, such as telling jokes, and break dancing," he says.

His posts like, "5 Things you should learn before starting a blog" and other articles about blogging and writing are worth a read.

They are informative and rich with good insights.

He writes for Triond.com and is into a variety of genre: creative writing - "The Admiration of a Good Friend", novels - "A Letter From Tobias Zeling" and poetry- "Hole" .

If you need help, Izzy is one generous blogger who is willing to spend time just to give a hand to a fellow blogger.

Thanks Izzy, the blogosphere needs more bloggers like you and you deserve a vote for the Ten Most Influential Blogs for 2009!

8. I Love-Hate America

This blog is authored by BING.

She is a highly spirited woman who can be generous and sweet, but who would speak out her mind with candor about issues she feels strongly about.

Her blog is fast emerging into a blog which could serve as the popular "voice" of Filipino immigrants in America.

I copied this verbatim from her "About Me" page: "Married to an American man whose of Irish and French-Canadian descent, and spends most of my time at home, managing the household, working as administrative support for my husband's musical career, copywriting, blogging and networking online."

Just like what her blog's name indicates, she blogs mainly on topics that deal with the negative and positive aspects of being an immigrant in the the US of A.

Visit her blog to know why she deserves to be voted as one of these influential blogs.

9. Tales From the Mom Side

I consider this list incomplete without a blog that represents the hardworking Moms (HWOMs) out there. One such blog is Tales from the Mom Side.

This blog is authored by Dee who writes about Love and Relationships, Money Matters, Parenting , Reading and Writing, Giveaways, and many more topics that only a mother could expertly discuss.

We watch the same genre of movies : "Mamma Mia, North & South, Pride and Prejudice (BBC Version) The Duchess, The Notebook" ( I cried a river in this movie, did you cry too Dee?)

The lady is not only a doting and loving mother but (I believe)is also a successful career woman. I am certain she deserves a vote from this blog. Good luck, Dee!

10. SEOWRIGHT.COM

This newly created blog is owned by Kevin Paquet, a 17 yr-old student from Davao City. Kevin co-authors Pinoy Teens - which is ranked 11th, nationwide, among thousands of blogs in the Top Pinoy Blogs.
Isn't that quite a feat? (mine is only no. 432...something). To list more of his superb credentials, here's an excerpt from a post written by his blogging buddies:

Start of excerpt:

"...The Digital Filipino Club event when you came home with bright eyes saying “bes, we’re the tenth hottest blogs among the new blogs for 2008“? Or the Mindanao Bloggers Summit, the WordCamps that you have attended in Davao City and Saint Benilde; Manila? Still it seemed to be “nothing” really special to him..."

End of excerpt.

The ultimate award of becoming one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs, would be the crowning glory to his blogging career.

I tip my hat off to these young bloggers. Although they still have a long way to go to improve, I could not ignore their unyielding angst to be recognized by other bloggers. This admirable attitude made me vote for him.

Blogs to watch our for ( I would have included them, if I were to vote for two more)

1. Kelvinonian Ideas 2.0

This is owned by Kelvin Servigon. Just like Kevin, Kelvin is a teener who wants to make it big in the blogosphere. He's armed with only his dreams and a persistent desire to fulfill his goals.
He says:

"...I’m just a simple teen guy just like anybody else. I am now studying at Bulacan State University taking up Civil Engineering course. I used to love computers since I was a kid. I know how to use Adobe Photoshop CS3..."

Kelvin, you'll go a long way for sure, even without being voted for the contest.

2. I'm disheartened to know that ELMOT'S blog Ani-mo!!! is not qualified for the Contest. Anyway he still deserves to be featured. Elmot is the proud owner of "Ani-mo".

I also "met" him at Roy's blog. He writes about a variety of articles, and will surely go a long way in this blogging world.

"... this blog is my online alter-ego. I post here my reactions, reflections, joys, triumphs, and frustrations about philippines politics and social issues and blogging. I love to comment on things but I am not the eternal cynic type...," he says this about his blog.

Right on, Elmot!
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She Didn't Dance - 2nd Story for the Inspirational Book (A Replay)

By: Roy dela Cruz

I knew it wasn’t meant to be, but at the back of my mind, I wish it would be. From the start, I was silently protesting against my wife. But seeing her enthusiasm, hard as she tried to hide it, I just could’t let myself be the one to burst her bubble. And like I said, I too, though discreetly, was hoping it might work.

When Angel was only three years old - modesty aside - many people have told us that her name really fitted her. Like most parents, we taught our little Angel to sing and to dance, which she performed to our hearts’ delight.

Babies were the sweetest things to watch, especially if she was your own baby. The problem was that, when we asked her to perform when there were other people around, like close friends or relatives, she would run away, stood still or just clung to us. But she would not perform - leaving us embarrassed and trying our best to change the topic. Okay, so our little Angel wasn’t the showbiz type.

One day, my wife told me my little Angel was chosen by the day care to be the school’s candidate for the search for “Munting Prinsesa ng Angeles” (Little Princess of Angeles) in the upcoming town fiesta. I couldn’t remember how I reacted then. I didn’t say no, but neither did I say yes.

My wife knew that I wasn’t keen on the idea, but it didn’t bother her. She saw it as an opportunity to show the world how beautiful and talented our baby was. A sentiment that I shared with her. She also saw it as a chance for my baby to develop herself and somehow overcome her stage fright.

I, on the other hand, was very much worried. The thought of putting my little darling on the spot, this time with a bigger audience, filled me with anxiety.

But amidst my silent protest, my wife insisted. She said that she asked Angel if she wanted to do it, to which my baby said yes. So with less than two months before the contest, the preparation began.

The road to the beauty contest wasn’t a smooth one. For one, we couldn’t afford to hire a trainer that would help us train and develop my little Angel’s talent. Hence, we had no choice but to train Angel ourselves. But then again, I was a weekend father. Being assigned in a place far from home.

Her daycare teacher was very unsupportive and compromised my baby in the first place; this left my wife by her lonesome self to prepare Angel for the contest.

Juggling her schedule between teaching, herself being a teacher in secondary school, and looking after the studies of my other two sons, and training Angel and looking after the house and the children’s needs.

Something was bound to give, and so it did. My wife eventually got sick for a week, the succeeding weeks, my two sons alternately got sick, and Angel was sick almost every week. In fact, the day before the contest, my baby had fever, and the apathetic daycare teacher was of no help; she even threatened us, “Is Angel ready? Because if she’s not, I have someone who is ready and willing to replace her at a moment's notice.” The nerve!

(TO BE CONTINUED)

All photos by Mel B.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Roy delaCruz is a dedicated and indomitable blogger who successfully authors 13 blogs namely, House of Puroy , Reflections, Letters to Mama Sugar Coated World The Struggling Blogger (1 & 2)
Be Inspired Now Subukan Taya Ing Kapampangan
The Copy Paste Blog Roysville AND
a creative writer (poetry and short story) with his newest baby: Short Stories Blog

He writes expertly about a variety of topics as evidenced by his numerous blogs. A good writer , father and family man, let's put our hands together for him.

Thanks Roy for being my Guest Blogger in the Inspirational Stories Book.

Customized Mailboxes are now Available

Oftentimes, you want your things personalized. You want your names etched in your pens, your bags, your tables, etc. You go to so much effort to establish your identity. You don’t want to be just “one of the guys”. You want to be different and unique.

There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s a natural human need to acquire your own identity and one way of doing this is by having your own mailbox customized according to your needs and specifications.

In this 20th century of computers and electronic gadgets, email internet services are predominantly used in writing and receiving mails. You still need mailboxes in your homes, though. This is because there would be parcels and other mails which you could only receive through your mail boxes.

Your mailbox could be customized the way you want it to be. You could select from several good designs, colors and sizes, be it for a single home or for big business companies.

There are a variety of Mailboxes that could fit amazingly into your house’s structure and individual lifestyle; all you have to do is to take your pick of these affordable mailboxes have it customized and you’re “ready for business.”

PATRICIA ROCKWELL'S REPLY TO MY QUERY

PATRICIA ROCKWELL, author of the blogs COMMUNICATION EXCHANGE and SUBJECTIVE SOUP has responded kindly to my question and request for a post on INDIFFERENT STUDENTS,
In response to this, here is her article "DEALING WITH INDIFFERENCE".

Patricia is retired now and has been a professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Northern Illinois University.

Her expertise in the field of education and communication has provided her with appropriate credentials to speak on topics such as Online Education and communication. She writes about a lot of topics under the sun, e.g. entertainment (Dancing with Warren Buffet), medical related articles, girl chat and many more. She does not only pen formal and academic papers but also has a creative venture - a novel, Sound of Murder, which she completed in the month of November for NaNoWriMo .

She writes too for Helium and Associated Content and has a book for sale entitled: Sarcasm and Other Mixed Messages: The Ambiguous Ways People Use Language .

Due to these, I had nominated her to the Blogger's Choice 09 Awards for Best in Education Blog. Kindly click this link to vote for her.

Visit her blog and read various, interesting topics that could be very useful and relevant to you. Thanks Patricia and all the best!

Simple Pointers to Ensure the Security and Safety of Your Home

Home should be a place where you should feel secure and safe. Nowadays, we often hear of homes being entered into by criminals who don’t have any respect for people's privacy and property. You should be certain that your home is secure from these unwanted element s of society. What are simple ways to ensure that your home is a safe haven for your family?

The following are simple ways to do this:

1. Before you go to sleep, check all doors and windows, be sure they’re safely closed, latched and locked from the inside. Fix those faulty locks.

2. Do not turn off all the lights outside and inside of the house. Leave one light in your front porch. Inside, leave lamp shades on, so that the house would not be totally dark. This will give the message to intruders that someone is home. Even when no one is in the house and you’re on vacation, make sure sufficient lights are left to secure the house.

3. Instruct your family members not to open the door immediately when somebody knocks. Ascertain the identity of the visitor before letting him in. Your children should be specifically given instructions on this precaution.

4. Have some home security systems in place. This would help you monitor the house security even from the outside. ADT security system is one such company. They have a 24 hr. - surveillance and monitoring system and they respond quickly. This would add more security to your home. What more, the price is affordable!

Knowing you made all necessary precautions in securing your home by observing all these tips and installing a home security surveillance system, you could now confidently leave for work, and you would also be able to sleep soundly in the night.

Some Tips on Beating the Summer Heat

It’s summer once again and the heat is on! You would want to go somewhere else less humid and more refreshing; it maybe a dip in the pool or a swim in the sea. Not everyone; however, could go outdoors to be rejuvenated. There are instances in which you don’t have any option but to stay inside.

Indoors, there are several methods you can use to beat the heat:

1. Drink ice cold beverages

Several glasses of your favorite juice drink would do. Even pure water is good enough. Ice cubes are added to maintain the coolness of the liquid. Drinking would also improve your circulation. Detoxify your body and promote good health. Remember your body is 60-70 % water.

2. Use ceiling fans or air-conditioning units.

To save on costs, ceiling fans are ideal and economical to use than air-conditioners. There are several styles of ceiling fans and thousands of fans you can choose from.

Accessories would not also be a problem as these are easily ordered.

The Casablanca ceiling fans and other popular modern brands are made available for shoppers online. Aside from the Casablanca fans, there are 16 ceiling fan manufacturers you could select from.

Shipping is also facilitated, and you would be sure that what you have purchased is the durable type of fan.

Saving Time and Money by Shopping Smartly

Shopping for clothes is fun but sometimes, it can be a tedious task, especially for women. Women have the propensity to be choosy and be more stylish in terms of clothing, while men have usually very simple tastes. Children on the other hand can be cute when they dress up for special occassions.

I usually shop during evenings because of the humid weather which is typical of a tropical country like ours. But shopping nowadays has a different connotation. In Australia and all over the world, shopping for clothing - whether it be for men, women, or children - is a lot easier due to online shopping stores. This is how you can shop smartly.

Looking out for sales in department stores is one way of buying at discounted prices. You could save a lot and spend the money on more important things instead.

Manage your time by shopping all at once. Don’t buy clothes like you were paying for them on installment basis.

Shopping online is a practical and convenient way of doing it. You choose from a wide variety of colors, sizes and styles, through the assistance of online guides who would help you out in the selection process. Clothing for men, women and children could be ordered online.

You may also be able to buy those items that you’ve been dreaming of - but could not - because of time constraint. Now is the chance, to shop online and you ‘ll realize that you could save time and money simultaneously.

Making Money with a Blog and Other Online Ventures

When I first started blogging, one of my intentions was to earn money online. I have read so many online articles advertising this notion. I was disappointed; however, when after three months, I still had no tangible income. All the ad review sites had rejected my blog application.

I decided then to forget about earning money online and concentrated instead on writing for my blogs.

Writing has always been a great love for me so I wrote several topics in my field of interests and had updated my blogs weekly.

I enlisted my blogs in search engines and in several ranking sites to maximize their exposure. I joined blogging communities and tried all possible means to make my blogs known. I wanted people to read what I wrote.

At first, I could not access my blogs from any search engine, but as days passed, slowly trickles of articles are being displayed in search engines. As my viewership increased my Google page rank appeared and that was the start of my earnings on line. Ad review sites started approving my blog applications.

Here are some strategies that you could use to earn money online:

1. Create a blog.

There are many sites that provide the creation of blogs for free. Create one and maintain it regularly by posting interesting articles.
Photo by Nikes

As mentioned above, add your blogs to all search engines like Google, yahoo, and msn. Enlist your blogs in various ranking sites like Blogtoplist,Alexa ranking,Blog Topsites, etc; this is to advertise your blogs.

Utilize all available gadgets in the internet to maximize your exposure to internet users. You can become a member of blogging communities like Entrecard,MyblogLog,Social Sparks, and many more.

Every three months or so, Google will be ranking your blog. If you had done well in the above-mentioned areas, you'll be assigned a page rank. As your readership increases, your ranking increases too.

It is your content however, that would let your readers come back for more. Content is King, so be sure to write eye-catching titles and informative articles.

2. Apply your blog for sites which pay for reviews.

After you have gained your Google page rank, you can now apply for the pay per post or paid reviews features.

These sites namely: blogvertise,sponsored reviews,review me and many others would usually pay $ 10 to $ 50 for every review published in your blogs.

You could earn a good income from these sites. Be sure however that your ranking would not go down as Google will decrease your rank if you do not maintain the
proper ratio of paid to unpaid posts, which is usually 1:3.

If your blog loses its rank, advertisers for paid reviews would not select your blog to advertise on, for the simple reason that no one will get to read your reviews.

3. Write for writing sites.

This is one good source of making money online. You just have to be dedicated, disciplined and be hardworking in your quest as a writer.

Do not get discouraged if at first you don't earn good money. You have to write a lot of articles before you could really earn from their daily views. But remember, these are investments which could last a lifetime.

Examples of these writing sites are Helium,Triond,Associated Content, and many more. Helium has a lot of venues for earning money, like the marketplace, rewardathons, the writing contests, citizen's contests
and upfront payments for articles as long as you maintain one star. I have earned good money from Helium for the 4 months that I have joined this site.

These sites are all free. If a site asks you to pay for some fees, then don't join; they should be the one paying you for your articles, and not you paying them.

While you're writing for these sites, this will also improve your writing skills.

You learn as you write, and write as you learn; to top these all, you earn at the same time. What could be better than that?

4. Allow direct advertisers in your blogs.

There are several sites that you could apply your blog to. Adsense, Adjitize
are some of them. You have to do some research to determine which among them suits you the most.

Beware of scam sites, however. I have not yet reached payout with adsense but I have read several testimonies of users being paid by them.

5. Join Pay per click (PPC) and Pay to click (PTC) sites.

This is where most scam sites are found. Before you join, surf in the internet about personal experiences with these sites. If there are many complaints about the site, then don't join. One red light for you to disregard the site is when they ask for payment upon registration and anytime during the membership. I don't recommend any of these sites, as I did not receive yet any payouts from them. I stopped using them two months ago.

6. Join paid forums

These are forums on line in which you post questions/discussions that other forum members could reply to. You are then paid on the quality and quantity of your responses, the discussions that you post, and from the pictures that you have uploaded.

Active participation is needed. An example of this site is MyLot forum. I recommend this site as I have proven already that it really pays its members. I have been paid thrice from this site within the 4 months that I had joined them.

For other legitimate forum sites, surf in the Internet for users' testimonies. Research well, as there are sites which pay late, and there are several scam sites.

There are still several strategies to earn money online. Open your ears and eyes to all these legitimate opportunities. Be wary of scam sites, though. Be persistent and dedicated in any money-making sites that you have decided to join and you'll be earning good money in no time at all.

Thanks to my Top Droppers for April

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