Emma Brooks | Digital Media Enthusiast

It’s that time of the year again! When everyone starts rolling out their favourite lists for 2009. And I am not ashamed to admit I am a slave to trends! I hop on the bandwagon so fast, you wouldn’t even see me on the ground. I have no identity or a creative thought in my body! Etcetera.

But I know what you’re really here for. Oh, boy, do I! You loaded up this page in the hopes of seeing a majestic, nay! a magical! top ten list from yours truly. And I shall not disappoint my readers, no! I shall fulfill their every wish, their every whim, because that is how wonderful I am. How good. How kind. How… blah, blah, blah, amirite?

I could go on and on about myself. I do it a lot. I have already done it a lot in two paragraph. Have I ever! So I’ll stop. I’ll stop so you’ll keep reading this. Instead, I will present to you:

Emma’s Top Ten Favourite Blog Finds of 2009! Da-da-da-da!

1. Clients from Hell

The latest fad in the advertising/marketing blogroll. Clients from Hell is “a collection of anonymously contributed client horror stories from designers.” Funny and frustrating all at once!

A recent post which is definitely LOL-worthy:
Last night I was sleeping and Jesus came to me in my dream and had this image in his hand. He said that he has blessed this image and this image only for the book. If I use any other image I am going against the will of our lord.

2. Behind the Seams

One of my favourite new fashion blogs, BtS is a blog created and updated by Trang, a truly beautiful and fashionable girl. She lives in Florida and sporadically posts what she’s wearing, DIY projects or reviews on collections. She recently won Stylelist & Bluefly “America’s Most Stylish Blogger” contest, beating out several other contestants.

Unfortunately, she does not allowed downloading or reproducing images so I will respect that and not post a picture here. But if you want to see the winning outfits for this contest, check out this entry. Congrats, Trang!

3. AdJoke.ca

AdJoke.ca is an advertising blog that was created by Tyler Turnbull and Paul Crowe in 2007. I have had the pleasure of working with both Paul and Tyler at Publicis Modem here in Toronto and I can say that I’ve seen first-hand how brilliant these boys are. Don’t let my bias distract you though, this is a great blog, filled with hidden gems, strong opinions and good commentary.

Tyler even wrote a great article, The Top 10 Badass Brands of 2009, upon my suggestion. Thanks Ty!

4. Generation Y Comics

Where would we be without a little friendly plugging? Generation Y Comics is a comic strip created by my good friends Matt and Bryan and it is kinda? autobiographical. I can’t tell. I mean, they do have a mutant, giant turtle as a friend… Either way, it is good times, trufax!

Local Torontonians will recognize such gems as TD Bank in the background or the Alice Fazooli Stella specials on Thursdays. And what comic is complete without a little Farmville joke?

5. He Loves Me Not

As many of my friends will attest, I like talking about relationships. So naturally, I really like Sarah’s blog “He Loves Me Not” which details her trials and tribulations with personal relationships. This girl has been through a lot in the last year, including finally breaking free of an emotional and physically abusive relationship with an alcoholic and drug user. As a reader who has been following her for a long time, I am so proud that’s she’s moved on and is healthier and happier for it.

It’s definitely not the cheeriest blog around but it’s real and my heart goes out to her for all she’s been through. Keep moving forward Sarah, and don’t look back!

6. The Uniform Project

If you haven’t heard of The Uniform Project yet, let me introduce it to you!

In May 2009, The Uniform Project pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week and every day, the outfit will be reinvented, with the help of layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums. So far, $50, 943 has been raised which translates to 141 kids in school.

Not only is this a great cause, but the fashion is awesome. It’s so interesting to see the same thing worn every day but how many different looks can be pulled off with it. Please go check it out!

7. Things Marketing People Love

So this blog has been dead for a while now but while it was hot, it was hot! Buzz words that marketers love to use were posted to this Tumblr over the period of a few months. Funny to see things you may have (and I am guilty here) used in conversations with coworkers or clients.

8. Digital Buzz Blog

A great resources for the latest and greatest in the digital world. Digital Buzz Blog features “the latest digital ad campaigns, hot new websites, interactive marketing ideas, virals, industry news, social media, insights, and other great digital trends from all over the world.”

Contributors range from Australia, Turkey, and the US and cover a wide variety of topics. Want to impress someone on your knowledge of the latest in the industry? Head over there and take your pick of posts. You’ll look better for it. Just remember to source. ;)

9. Starting Over at 24

This blog has been a little bit quiet for a while, but I’ve got it in here because even if it’s not being updated, going through the archives is definitely worth it.

As the about section describes this blog: After 6 years of dating only one girl, I found myself single at 24 (now 26) and tackling the dating scene for my first time. These are my adventures, my mishaps, and stories of triumph… Lordy it’s rough.

There are some pretty hilarious posts here, including my favourite: To Don Quixote Pt 2 of 2 aka one of the worst dating stories I’ve read probably ever.

10. The Renegade Agency Confessional

Last but not least! we have The Renegade Agency Confessional. An ad agency in Baltimore, they definitely have some great posts and are a good resource for any wee ad agency wannabe. I’ve talked about them before and you’d do yourself a favour to ad them to your blogroll.

Two recent posts of theirs I really enjoyed: It’s beginning to look a lot like McChristmas (a great picture of the number of McDonald’s in the US) and Nothing like an A-hole with B-roll (a great find – a YouTube video all about B-rolls). Check them out!

And there we have it! My Top Ten Favourite Blog Finds of 2009! I hope you find some blogs in here that pique your interest. If you have any you’d like to share, leave them in the comments! I’ll be more than happy to check them out!

Happy holidays everyone! Here’s to a brilliant 2010!

If you’re behind the game, here’s a link explaining The Great Write Off of 2009. You can find links and discussion to all posts by checking out the Twitter trending topic, #WriteOff09.

For Day 17 of the Great Write Off of 2009, Dan asks us, “Is saying, ‘It’s just not the right time’ a valid argument?” He writes:

However, I had the decision to make. While I made the “it’s not the right time” argument, it was completely under my control, and I could’ve chosen to do it if I wanted to. It’s important to recognize that timing won’t always be ideal, but that alone shouldn’t rule out making a decision one way or the other. Whether it’s with your business or with your personal life, it’s important that you make what you perceive to be the best decision in your life.

As I wrote on his blog in the comments section:

I think everything happens for a reason. We just generally aren’t aware of these reasons until we can look back with the knowledge of how things have turned out… which can sometimes take years.

Timing, I find, is actually a very good reason. Think of all the people you could have dated/might have, but didn’t, because the timing wasn’t right. People use that excuse all the time.

Yes, we have control of our lives, and if you had REALLY wanted that offer, Dan, you would have made it work. I think timing can be a big part of a decision, but it always comes partnered with other reasons and factors. It’s just the easiest to explain :)

This is definitely one of those questions you could ask and end up talking about philosophy and views on life until the wee hours of the morning, and folks? I’m a little too sleepy right now to even attempt anything beyond my comment above.

However, if you have anything to share, please do so here or on Dan’s blog.

If you’re behind the game, here’s a link explaining The Great Write Off of 2009. You can find links and discussion to all posts by checking out the Twitter trending topic, #WriteOff09.

For Day 13, I’d thought I’d mix my style up a little bit by approaching a blogger I have been following for over a year and asking her if I could pose some interview questions. She graciously agreed.

Zephyr has been writing CollegeFashion.Net for over 2 years now. I initially found her blog when I was doing research into fashion bloggers for work but continued reading as a fan because I loved her articles, her fashion style and how she ran her blog. To me, she epitomizes all the “right” things a blogger should be doing if they wish to move their blogs from part-time hobby to full-time employment.

Without further ado, I give you the questions I posed and her answers…

1. To start, would you like to tell us what your blog is about in your own words?

College Fashion is a community of college girls who love fashion. To me, the “blog” part of things is secondary to that. I write about fashion, style, beauty, and college life, but CF is about so much more than that – it’s a place where readers can talk about fashion, ask questions, get involved, and learn about fashion, style, and everything in between.

2. How did you get started with this blog?

I started College Fashion in March of 2007 when I realized there were NO fashion sites out there specifically for college students. Everything was either aimed at women with thousands of dollars to spare or 16 year old high school students. I decided if it didn’t exist, I might as well create it, and College Fashion was born.

3. At what point in this blog’s history did you realize this could actually become a full-time job for you?

To be honest, it’s always been a full-time job in terms of the workload – I’ve pretty much been working 40+ hours a week every week since I started it! I’ve even been known to skip class to work on my site (bad, I know, but it’s the truth). Running a blog is SO much more work than people think, and running a successful blog is pretty much always a full-time job. In terms of when I started making a full-time income from the site, it was probably mid 2008 before I started seeing that.

4. How have you managed to keep up the creativity with your blog?

Staying motivated and creative is something I’m constantly trying to improve at. It’s not always easy and there are definitely days when I feel like I have nothing creative to write about. But I’ve learned to just push through that and keep going anyway. Also being in love with your subject matter helps a lot. I don’t think I could write creatively about sports every day!

5. Were there any posts/themes that you expected to be popular and weren’t? Or posts/themes that you didn’t think would garner much attention but did?

I wrote a post about the fashion on Gossip Girl when it first started, when the show wasn’t that popular yet and didn’t expect the article to be popular. Instead, it got a HUGE response! It’s one of the most popular posts on my site to date. I had no idea the show would be such a big deal and I think my site benefited from that.

6. What are some of the perks of writing a fashion blog? The cons?

Perks include free stuff (beauty products, clothes, accessories, etc., etc.), getting to interview celebs, opportunities to attend events I wouldn’t normally be invited to, doing things I love as a job (writing and talking about fashion), and being able to work from anywhere. The cons include 40 hour plus work weeks (I barely even remember what a weekend is supposed to be like), constant pressure to update, a perpetually out-of-control inbox, dealing with negative comments, and working for next to nothing for a year or two before your site gets established.

7. Do you have any advice for someone starting out with trying to move their blog to a full-time employment opportunity?

Work hard and don’t expect success to come overnight. So many people start blogging because they think it’s a “get rich quick” thing, and nothing could be further from the truth! To be honest, I think blogging is one of the LEAST easy/quick ways to make money online. You have to work really hard, write well, motivate yourself, stay creative, and update as often as you can to see success, and even then success isn’t guaranteed. It’s definitely not for everyone – you have to be willing to work hard for next to nothing for a few years before you’ll see real income.

8. Where do you see the future of your blog going? Or even blogging in general?

I have no idea! That’s part of what makes it fun. I’m sure the site will change quite a bit in the future as blogging and technology changes, but right now, the future’s an open book.

9. You recently changed the name you went by online to your real name. Has there been any fallout from that move?

Not at all and it makes me wish I had gone by my real name sooner! Everyone has been super nice and supportive about it, and people have even been saying they like my site more now that I’m using my real name. Zero backlash whatsoever.

10. What would you say is your favourite fashion piece at this moment?

Oh god, it changes daily. I guess if I had to pick I’d say my J Brand dark wash skinny jeans. They’re so comfy, work for day or night, and go with pretty much everything.

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And that’s it! I think Zephyr has made some really good points about expectations for new bloggers and those who want to make blogging their primary means of supporting themselves. Nothing comes overnight, especially success and monetary gain!

Thank you so much Zephyr for taking the time to answer my questions! I truly appreciate it. If you’d like some great fashion advice, well-written articles and where to find great online deals, please check out Zephyr’s site at CollegeFashion.Net.

OK, so in an effort to write more on this blog, I proposed a blog post challenge to Dan Hocking, of DanHocking.com fame. He accepted my challenge (the poor sucker, doesn’t know what he’s in for) and as of tomorrow, we’ll be starting “The Great Write-Off of 2009.”

THE RULES:
1. We will post every other day, alternating days between each of us.
2. We MUST post on our day – nothing past midnight EST or it counts as being late.
3. Posts can be about anything or anything. A funny story, an observation, personal information, etc. However, there must be SOME content to it. Can’t just put up a picture of something and call it a day. (Unless…)
4. Unless… you made the picture. Video, audio, visual, text – any and all is an accepted format.
5. Days missed or late posts will result in punishments (see more below).
6. On our “off” days, we will link to the our competitor’s post (if it’s up within a reasonable amount of time).
7. Spamming friends, twitter accounts, facebooks with links to the posts is more than encouraged.

PUNISHMENT
1. It is up to the punishee to pick their final punishment.
2. Punishment options can be picked from either the punisher’s suggestions, or if any commenters have suggestions.
3. Must be blog-related (i.e. will be in post form, though can be any of the aforementioned acceptable formats) and please, nothing too illegal, TMI or dirty. We are “professionals” here, after all.
4. Punishment must be done within 48 hours of missing a deadline.

STARTING
Tomorrow, June 9, 2009 with yours truly!

ENDING
Tuesday, July 9, 200. The day of freedom. The day I celebrate my momentous victory. The day I will allow myself to run out of ideas.

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Let the write-off begin! (Well, tomorrow.)