Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World's Top Bloggers

by Michael A. Banks

Among more than 102,000,000 blogs, a few stand out as influential, ground-breaking, and singularly successful. These thirty bloggers, who write about everything from business trends to parenting, have been featured in Wired magazine, Popular Science , and on CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and 20/20 . In one-on-one conversations with Michael A. Banks, these innovative, creative thinkers have shared their tactics, their philosophies, what drives them, how they mine...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470197390
• ISBN13: 9780470197394
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

"Blogging Heroes" Opened My Mind

I found "Blogging Heroes" to be a really inspirational book that introduces the reader to many of the pioneers of blogging. As someone who is not a hard-core technical person, it was refreshing to learn the variety of blogs and get a glimpse into their world from the inside. You will probably recognize several of the blogs and enjoy finding out their origins and what motivates the people that breath life into them. Some of the blogs profiled started as magazines first; others were born online. Some are run professionally by trained journalists; others are run as hobbies during spare time. All of the profiles, though, were interesting. I often found myself at the end of each chapter thinking, "That is so cool. What that person did!" As you read the book, you'll easily notice patterns in the advice, motivations and other factors that were keys to these bloggers' success. By the end of the book, you'll have a very concise list of what to do if you want to get started blogging (or improve your current blog). Michael Banks style is great. "Blogging Heroes" is very easy to read with each of the 30 chapters devoted to one interview. I read the book one or two chapters each night before bed. It was perfect for that kind of reading- chapters are under 10 pages long; so, you can always finish one in about 10 minutes. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more about the world of blogging from a personal level.

A Major Reporting Achievement

"Blogging Heroes" by Michael Banks has fascinated me since I first saw its intriguing cover. After I started reading it my enthusiasm grew, and I decided to pick up tips from each blogger. Bank's smooth writing helps. The nice thing is that each blogger tells his own story, so as a reader you can pace yourself and absorb each person's ideas. The depth of reporting is terrific. But the book is more than a reporting achievement. It is also a historical one, for in the future these people will be considered pioneers in their field. As for a blogging novice like me, the book inspired me to start my own blog. Previously, I had heard a lot about blogging, but I never felt moved to do anything with it. Banks writes with such passion and knowledge, and his interviewees certainly show it. I thought it was time for me to try it. I'd recommend the book to anyone who has wanted to enter the world of blogging but never had the spark to get started. This book will light that spark!

Want to know what you can really get from blogging?

This is an inspirational book, giving you insight into the world of blogging pioneers, thought leaders, and passionate bloggers. Reading the book expanded my ideas and concepts of what blogging can do and how it can be a major factor in your personal and business online persona. A must read in my book.

U Can Cherry Pick the best from some Very Good Bloggers!

Do you want to know a lot about blogging? Would you like to be a great blogger? Are you just curious about blogging? Do you want to know something about where blogging came from, where it is "now", and where blogging is headed? If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. One small word of warning: Do not read the summary at the end of each chapter and assume it captures all of the important information and details in that chapter. Although the summaries are good, they definitely leave out some very key information. You may want to add your notes to each summary and investigate all or at least more of the internet location suggestions. I've read some about blogging and visited a number of blogs over the past few years. This book is just a fantastic summary and information source on blogging! Congratulations Michael Banks! You have done a fantastic job with this book and I will be alert to investigating all other titles which you have or will pen. Please note: My review is totally independent and unsolicited, however, I will accept any percentage which you may want to share..... ;-)

Picking the brains of the biggest bloggers

When Michael contacted me for to do an interview for a chapter in his new book, I wondered if it would be just another book on blogging. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the other 29 experts he contacted all over the spectrum of the blogging experience, with some names that I consider blogging heroes of my own! The advance copy I read demonstrates that Michael understands the various ways that blogging can be used for fun, for profit and to change the world. Kudos on a fantastic manuscript that has become a must-read for every blogger! - Joel Comm, Author - The AdSense Code: What Google Never Told You About Making Money with AdSense