John Donne wrote that “no man is an island, entire of itself – every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”. He was spot on, and while he was writing about death, the connectivity of mankind is relevant in so many areas. Woah, that’s a bit deep… what I’m trying to say is this: community matters, and I want to give a shout out to some of the bloggers who regularly influence and inspire me. It’s my hope that you’ll find at least some of them as inspiring as I do.

Their order here isn’t significant, other than it being the order they appear in my feed reader!

1. Adam Howie – Adam probably doesn’t know this, but he’s a big part of the reason I blog. Something happened in 2003 that prompted me to find an easy way to express myself, and I’d been interested in this “blogging” thing that Adam did… so I asked him how he got set up and did likewise. Besides the historical link, though, Adam is a talented artist, thoughtful writer, and as much of a geek as I am. He doesn’t post that often, but when he does it’s worth checking out.
2. Kim and Jason Kotecki – Kim and Jason are on a mission to help people rediscover the childlike joy of life… instead of being grumpy old adults. Their “lemonade stand” has a load of fun products for sale to help with that, but it’s the posts that really draw me in. I still feel like a child in an adult’s body, and Kim and Jason help me remember there’s nothing wrong with that.
3. Johnny Laird – Johnny and I met through the machinations of Thomas “Headphonaught” Mathie, but have mostly interacted online because of where we both live. Johnny is big on community, a brilliant networker, and my partner in our upcoming Blogging Dojo project. He describes himself as, “Blogger, connector, communicator, change agent & social activist…friend of the geek & radical”. If you want to learn about new voices in the blogosphere, some older (but worthwhile) ones, and to be presented with interesting posts on a regular basis, Johnny’s your guy (and he does a mean carbonara too).
4. Mike Cliffe-Jones – Mike and I “met” while we were both taking Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog course. Mike commented on one of my posts and we just seemed to hit it off. We share interests in blogging (obviously), Formula 1, and cars in general. More importantly, though, Mike is a genuinely nice and helpful guy who’s done plenty to make me pull my socks up as a blogger. I often read his posts and then need a bit of time to think about it – either because he’s just given me a new idea, called to attention something I need to improve on, or inspired me in some way. He’s also one of the very few writers who can actually bring me to tears on occasion… not an easy thing to do! Mike is living proof that blogging can provide a full-time income and, because of that and all the reasons above, I make sure to keep up to date with what he’s writing.
5. Arnold Aranez – Arnold blogs under the name “Mr Gadget” about, unsurprisingly, gadgets. He’s a great source of information on upcoming tech, and also runs a successful company selling gadgets online. I’m still very pleased with the Ravage USB stick I bought from him! What makes Mr Gadget stand out beyond the many other gadget sites is the personal interaction with Arnold. He’s on Twitter, and despite us having opposite sleep patterns (he’s always going to bed just as I get online, and vica versa) we still manage to have some good banter. For gadget news with a personal touch, I recommend Arnold “Mr Gadget” Aranez.
6. Robert Bravery – Right, a pastor who’s also a tech-head and blogger… that’ll be me, then, won’t it? Nope, it’s Robert “The Brave Programmer” Bravery who wears programming, blogging, and ministry hats in South Africa. Robert’s blog covers topics like how to set up a blog, writing for the Internet and, basically, how to be a better blogger. He has a great style, and often posts cartoons to comment on current events or the idiosyncrasies of blogging and programming. There’s a good community of commenters on the site too, and the discussion around some of his posts is great to read through.
7. Kevin Tea – Kevin has been a guest author on Geek-Speak, so you might have come across him before. He blogs about cloud computing on his own site, and is a great source of information on new webapps, tools, and productivity packages. Keep an eye on his writing and you’re sure to find something to make your life easier… or just a new toy to play with while your wife wonders why the old way wasn’t good enough :)

So… these are the guys I consider my blogging dojo. None of them have asked to be included here, and none of them have to do anything because of their inclusion. These are just the guys I keep most up to date with, and the ones I’d say inspire me most with their writing and interaction. They’re also the people I want to give back to by being part of their community – commenting, sharing, and supporting where appropriate.

Why am I telling you about them? Because if I think they’re worth reading, you just might too. Why not check their sites out and see what you think of them?

Image credit: Soaringbird – creative commons licensed