Courtesy of Oatmeal

Per the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Clear Blogging by Bob Walsh. I had a chance to dive-in a little bit over the weekend. While Walsh doesn’t say anything ground breaking (this is a good, practical “how-to” book on blogging for beginners), he starts out the book with a bang.

From the first chapter:

Blogging is about power, and shifting it from them to you.

The reason the number of people blogging keeps doubling every five months–and companies, organizations, media, churches, and, at last count, somewhere between 50 and 100 million people have started wildly blogging in less than a few years–is that blogging gives us a new way to communicate, to share, to influence, to connect, to outrage, to matter.

Seth Godin says the way information is transmitted has been forever changed by the Internet. Walsh agrees. I’m with them.

The “haves” and the “have-nots” will level off and become the “all-haves.” Why? Because everyone, more or less, has the same chance to be heard. This can be a very good thing (read: Iran election) or it can be a very bad thing (read: Perez Hilton).

This is part of the reason why I love blogging so much. The “authorities” no longer have exclusive claim to “the truth.” 2010 will continue to be a year of blogging because:

• Journalistic credibility will continue to shift from the “traditional” media and more towards bloggers.
• The “peer sphere” will continue to serve as the primary place where people get everything from product reviews to news to weather.
• More people will realize how easy it easy to start a good blog and find it tremendously rewarding.

Your voice matters. It’s waiting to be heard. Get going!

Here’s a recap of the top three posts from BeDeviant.com this past week. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by the site, check out these posts and get up-to-date. These got the most traffic on the site, were shared the most, and had the most comments.

1. What Blogs Are You Reading? This got a lot of traffic and a few stumbles. We want to know what you’re reading! Tell us in the comments. . .
2. Claim Your Facebook Fan Page Custom URL Today – An oldie, but a goodie. This post is among the most searched for posts here on the site. This article presents a simple, practical way to customize your Facebook fan page.
3. We Want to Hear From You – Contributors Needed! Do you like to write, challenge the cultural norm and enjoy this site? Consider joining the contributors team here at BeDeviant.com! 2010 contributors are being considered now.

So there they are, your top 5 posts of the week! Recap, refresh, re-read, re-tweet!

From Skye Jethani’s Divine Commodity (affiliate link):

If people began suppressing their desires and consuming only what they needed, our economy and society would collapse.

The only thing more insane than this statement is the fact that it’s true.

What if we only bought what we needed?

Would you be willing to let our current capitalistic society collapse (at least in its current form)?

2010 is the year of blogging.
It’s also the year of collaboration here at BeDeviant.com.
This call won’t be for everyone, but it will be for a few.

We’re asking for collaborators to guest post on a semi-regular basis here on the site. If you like to write and have a love for culture, faith, technology or all three, now’s your chance to join the community here at BeDeviant as a contributor.

You don’t need to have your own blog, although it would be great if you did (more link juice for you). The process to apply is simple:

1. Go to Gravatar.com and sign up. You’ll want a gravatar for the future anyway, but it’s what we use to show the world your mug at the bottom of your posts.
2. Register at BeDeviant.com as an author.
3. Once you register, your username and password will be sent to the email address you provide.
4. Use those credentials to login.
5. Fire away!

While we can’t guarantee every article written will get published, if you’re passionate about your topic it will shine through people will want to read your stuff. That’s publishable material.

What you will get if your article is published:

• Exposure to the BeDeviant community with a chance to build a community of your own.
• An opportunity to explore the intersections of culture, faith and technology.
• A chance to challenge others to “think differently” about the world around them.
• Some Deviant swag throughout the year. The more you’re published, the more stuff you get!

Take the next step in your blogging journey and join the team here at BeDeviant.com. Build your voice. You’ll get to be a part of a growing and influential community while having your articles read by the hundreds of people who stop by here daily.

Think about it. Act on it. Any questions? Shoot me an email.