43 Folders is the brainchild of Merlin Mann, focusing on personal productivity, "life hacks," and simple ways to make life better. His encouraging, humorous spirit is just what his readers need to help them stop procrastinating, do what they need to do, and have more fun. A recent NY Times Sunday magazine story, ("Meet the Life Hackers," 10/16/05) praised Merlin and 43 Folders. Technorati ranks 43 Folders in the Top 50 of their list of 100 most influential blogs.

"[43 Folders is the] headquarters for a small movement to make lives more organized, better focused, and less encumbered by email. If you’ve got a college student graduating this spring, sneak into her laptop and make 43F the default home page on her browser; someday, with a small, meticulous notebook in her back pocket, she’ll thank you."

- The Morning News, which awarded the site a 2006 Editors' Award for Online Excellence

Awarded the Webby Award for Best Business Blog in 2006, David Allen Ibsen's "5 Blogs Before Lunch" brings wit and wisdom to the world of modern marketing and business. David knows whereof he speaks: His marketing career has spanned over 20 years, with such iconic brands as Lexus, Microsoft, Hyundai, Xerox and Cristal Champagne. His San Francisco-based marketing consultancy, 5 Meetings Before Lunch, has worked with more than 30 companies to solve strategic problems and to accelerate change. His blog keeps readers in the loop, and challenges them to go outside it with a clearly focused, incisive overview of everything we need to know.

A VC records the thoughts of Fred Wilson, the NYC-based managing partner of two venture capital firms, Flatiron Partners and Union Square Ventures. Technorati counts 1,286 sites linking to Fred's influential insights on marketing, technology, the Internet, and investment strategy (with a bit on his kids and his favorite music mixed in!).

Alarm:Clock, a weblog written by former RedHerring editors, covers the business of technology startups. Besides covering the news, each weekday it adds a new profile of a privately-held technology venture, analyzing the business model and assessing how the company fits in to the technology landscape.

The Behance Team oversees the popular Behance online magazine (BehanceMag.com), network (Behance.net), and online outfitter (CreativesOutfitter.com). As a think tank, author of a popular blog, and steward of the premier network for creative professionals across industries, Behance is at the epicenter. The team’s mission is to organize and boost productivity in creative industries. Thousands of top designers, illustrators, photographers, and others build their network and disseminate their portfolio through Behance.net. In addition, many more thousands of fans, enthusiasts, and agencies surf the Behance Network in search of talent and inspiration. The team’s online magazine at BehanceMag.net features interviews with especially productive creative people. Behance has been featured across the web and on MSNBC, ABC News, and other publications. Other site statistics: Behance attracts many viewers from agencies and creative companies. In addition, more than 98.8% of their visitors have a screen resolution larger than 800x900 pixels

Dane Carlson's Business Opportunities Weblog is the premier blog of ideas and opportunities for small business entrepreneurs and is one of the most widely read business blogs. In over ten thousand posts since 2001, author Dane Carlson has proven the notion that "ideas are cheap," and pushed hundreds of inventors, entrepreneurs and small scale capitalists towards their dream of owning and running their own business.

For more than two years, Dragon Head Almost Destroyed Me has displayed the best and the worst of current media and marketing trends. The site offers insider analyses on media and technology from both participatory and consumer viewpoints. Longtime ad veteran and principal author Stuart Wallace turns a critical eye on the marketing world, putting his brand-building expertise to work in a way that benefits everyone but the mediocre.

Duct Tape Marketing is a team of 22 authors -- each an expert in a specific aspect of business marketing, such as PR, internet marketing and selling to large organizations -- headed by author and business coach John Jantsch. The Duct Tape Marketing Blog was chosen as a Forbes Magazine "favorite for small business" and "best blog on small business marketing" for the third year in a row by the readers of Marketing Sherpa.

Dumb Little Man is Chicago-based Jay White's 3rd child.

In only 18 months his blog has become one of the most popular on the Internet simply by helping the average person improve life.

Jay and his team of writers discuss and recommend tactics that are easily read and implemented by just about anyone that wants to make their life a little easier.

Personal finance, productivity at home or work, and strategies to improve overall personal satisfaction with life are areas that are touched upon daily.

Fractals of Change is where retired serial tech CEO Tom Evslin writes about technology, marketing, strategy, black holes and Vermont – not necessarily in that order. Technorati sees 899 influential links to Fractals of Change.

A few years ago, Web consultant Hugh MacLeod invented a new art form: drawing cartoons on the back of business cards. Because the cartoons are funny, and relevant to our media-saturated, love-starved world, the site where he posts those cartoons, Gaping Void, sits comfortably in Technorati's Top 200 as one of the world's most influential blogs. With nearly 9,000 links from nearly 3,000 blogs, Gaping Void has become a must-visit for savvy surfers everywhere. Gaping Void satirizes advertising, public relations, technology and the wine business — but it never loses heart.

Guy Kawasaki's blog, How to Change the World, provides tactical, practical information that attracts the early adopter, entrepreneurial, tech-loving audience. His blog consistently ranks in the Technorati top fifty.

LifeClever is a terrific 'life hack' site -- a collection of tips for design and life that's among the favorite sites of Merlin "43 Folders" Mann. LifeClever's straightforward practical advice helps both designers and non-designers learn how to design, work, and live better — from a living room to a resume. LifeClever is helmed by Chanpory Rith, a designer at MetaDesign whose interaction and branding work includes projects for Yahoo!, Symantec, PC World and Four Seasons Hotels. With more than 1,300 inbound links from 699 sites, LifeClever is well within Technorati's Top 3,000.

Lost Remote is where Cory Bergman, the director of digital media at a cable-TV network in Seattle, and Steve Safran, executive producer at a similar network in Boston, highlight the latest trends in TV and new media — with the help of six other industry insiders. Their visitors turn 5,000 pages each day, and each Thursday, their newsletter reaches 3,000 media-savvy professionals.

CBS Marketwatch praises the site's "straight journalism," the Seattle Weekly calls it "Seattle's best Weblog," and Variety recommends it as "a good place to start your day."




Dr. Paul Kedrosky's irreverent insights into technology, finance and venture capital have made Infectious Greed the first stop each morning for prominent players in all three fields. Having worked in the industry for two decades, Paul is an acknowledged expert: Quoted regularly in the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal, he also appears on CNBC every other week. Paul is the executive director of a venture capital institute at the University of California at San Diego — a combination research center and seed fund — and a partner at Ventures West, a $600 million venture fund. Named 'Best of the Web 2006' by BusinessWeek.

Silicon Alley Insider is one of the fastest-growing business publications in the world. Founded by former financial analyst Henry Blodget and former DoubleClick CEO Kevin Ryan, Silicon Alley Insider offers real-time news and analysis of technology, telecom, and media businesses. The site’s expert staff breaks news and presents analysis and commentary in a conversational tone. Silicon Alley Insider has quickly become a must-read in the tech and start-up communities. Its rapidly growing audience exceeds 700,000 uniques/month.

“Begun just four months ago, SAI has quickly become a must read for the digital set.” -- Sam Gustin, Condé Nast Portfolio, 12/19/07

Small Business Trends wins awards for its coverage of the major and minor changes that affect small businesses, including shifts in technology, marketing, the retail environment and the global economy. Author Anita Campbell has been called THE voice of small business. Forbes picked Small Business Trends as Best of the Web in 2005.

"...the ideal small business resource: experienced, informed up to the moment, blessed with keen judgment and a broad perspective..."

- Eric Olsen, CEO, Blogcritics

"Your 'Letters to the Editor' feature is like Dear Abby for the small business market."

- Kirsten Osolind, CEO, re:invention

Among the leading business blogs, Springwise New Business Ideas scans the globe for promising business ventures, ideas and concepts that are ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion or investment. With the help of more than 10,000 spotters, Springwise ferociously tracks offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets, digital cameras at hand.

Readership includes venture capitalists, CEOs, CMOs, entrepreneurs and new business owners. Active since 2002, and plugged by Newsweek International, Time Magazine and BusinessWeek, Springwise provides business insights and opportunities for entrepreneurial minds around the world. Active since 2002, Springwise has over 80.000 links on Google.

TechDirt targets IT and business leaders involved in IT decisions. TechDirt reaches 240,000 monthly uniques, a number that has tripled in the past year with the help of recognition by sites such as Google, which selected TechDirt as one of the four tech sites (with Wired News, News.com & Slashdot) chosen as default feeds for Google's new personal homepage (aka myGoogle). Feedster's recently ranked Techdirt the 12th most popular blog. It's a Technorati Top 100 site, with inbound links from more than 3,000 blogs.

Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection covers TiVo, MCE, Microsoft, Flickr, digital music, digital photography and the entire digital lifestyle. It's in the Top 500 at Technorati, which counts 502 linking sites. Thomas Hawk informs more than 60,000 monthly uniques*.

TREND HUNTER Magazine is an explosion of cool fueled by a global network of thousands of trend spotters and cool hunters. Editor in chief Jeremy Gutsche knows that innovation and strategic advantage hinge on the ability to identify the next big thing. By tracking the evolution of cool, contributing Trend Hunters generate ideas, stimulate creativity, and ultimately shape our social context. Advertising in Trend Hunter infects an influential population of social leaders. As MTV puts it, "At Trend Hunter, find out what’s cool BEFORE it’s cool!"

VentureBeat provides news and information about fast-growing private companies and the venture capital that fuels them. Written by Matt Marshall, it is the successor to SiliconBeat. The Wall Street Journal in 2005 credited SiliconBeat with providing the "back-story" of Silicon Valley. VentureBeat targets the most influential leaders in Silicon Valley and in other dynamic business cities around the world. Readers include entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other professionals.

Michele Miller is a partner in the Wizard of Ads marketing firm, specializing in behavior-based consumer marketing and marketing to women, with a client roster that includes such companies as Best Buy and Timberland. She is also a writer and marketing columnist for Inc.com.

Her blog, WonderBranding, focuses on marketing to women and has been hailed as a premier blog by critics and experts. WonderBranding has been featured in Seth Godin's book, Bull Market, was named one of the "Ten Best Blogs for 2005" by MarketingSherpa.com, and was recently named one of the top marketing industry blogs by Forbes.com. A recent search of Google indicated that more than 26,000 sites point to WonderBranding.