May 25 50 Women Bloggers You Should Be Reading

The inspiration for this post began way back in November, when I spied a tweet lamenting the fact that blogger “Best Of…” lists heavily favor male bloggers. In this mindset, I quickly dashed off a post called “5 Female Bloggers Who Will Get You Thinking,” which received such a wonderful response that I decided to expound upon it.

For this post of 50 women bloggers, I pulled from my own feed reader and used suggestions from my esteemed colleagues. This list, however, is by no means comprehensive. I figured that women bloggers weren’t being mentioned because 1) people just don’t know which bloggers to read or 2) people don’t think female bloggers write relevant content, especially as related to tech and social media. This list is to help remedy both situations.

Help add to this list by leaving your favorites in the comments. In a couple of months, hopefully I can turn this into a list of 100! 

Start-Ups

Naomi Dunford – Itty Biz  – Naomi’s hilariously tart commentary on scrappy marketing tactics for companies without a marketing department.

Esther Dyson  – The Huffington Post – A veteran angel investor, Esther has first-hand experience helping to do the delicate work of nuturing a start-up. Her trademark candidness only further convinces you that what she’s saying is the real deal.

Shonali Burke –  Women Grow Business – As editor of Women Grow Business and head of her own consulting agency, Shonali Burke is the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit. She tackles topics that sometimes speak to the unique issues that women face, but mostly her insight is invaluable across the board.

Tara Joyce  –  Rise of the Innerpreneur – I put Tara under my “Start Ups” section because her blog should be an immediate read for anyone with an entrepreneurial jones. She explores what she calls “meaningful capitalism,” which means discovering your own business passion, and bringing it into the world in a mindful way. And it’s highly inspiring.

Tech

Veronica Belmont – Veronica Belmont’s Blog  –  Mostly tech and gaming focused, Veronica writes with infectious, geeky enthusiasm about what’s brand new. 

Dawn Foster  – Fast Wonder  – Using a combination of her technical and business expertise, Dawn educates companies on how to get business value from being a part of online communities…without boring us to death.

Jenna Wortham – The New York Times Bits Blog  – Before writing for The New York Times, Jenna was a culture and technology writer for Wired, and it shows. Her pieces generally focus on smartly outlining digital culture, while simultaneously showing how people are putting new technologies to use in their lives and businesses.  

Xeni Jardin –  Xeni’s Blog –  Xeni is a stylish and well-known tech culture journalist who watches the industry with both an aesthetic and functional eye. Find her on Boing Boing.

Corvida Raven – SheGeeks –  Corvida vets and blogs about useful tech services and tools with an eye to what is going to make your online journey less noisy and more interesting.

Adria Richards – But You’re A Girl – InspiredMag called her blog fresh for a reason, because Adria takes on tech – and life – with vibrant and energetic posts.

Leah Culver – Leah’s Blog  –  People get all hot and biscuit over Leah’s programming speak because she’s a high profile woman in a male dominated industry with an impressive list of successes to boot.
   
Barbara Coll –  Webmama – With nearly 15 years under her belt in the biz, this industry veteran has plenty of insight into what works and what won’t.

Social Media

Amber Naslund – Altitude – As the Director of Community at Radian6, you can be pretty sure that Amber has seen it all when it comes to engagement and metrics. Maybe that’s why her blog is full of actionable suggestions for a better social experience.

Jessica Faye Carter – Technicultr  –  As both an author and the CEO of Nette Media, Jessica Faye Carter knows a thing or two about developing sound social media technology. She focuses on women and multicultural communities, which gives her a unique and crucial voice within the conversation of our current understanding of social strategy.

Beth Schillaci – Marketing Roadhouse – Beth is an industry professional that has experience in both the client facing and technical sides of social media and marketing. This means that her blog posts are a well-rounded mix of why, how, and for whom, with a dash of personal opinion to keep you from going astray.

Gwen Bell –  Gwen Bell’s Blog –  Gwen talks social primarily from a personal standpoint, but that hasn’t made her any less of a success in the business world. You’ll love her easy and open writing style.

Jennifer Leggio – Social Business – A passionate social media evangelist, Jennifer Leggio tackles issues on her blog that concern us all: the issues of safety, privacy, and security in a Web 2.0 world. With more than 15 years of media experience, we look to her to keep us abreast of the ever-changing security landscape of social media.

Shannon Paul – Very Official Blog – Shannon focuses on the successful integration of social media with PR and marketing campaigns.

Tamar Weinberg – Techipedia – Aside from being the Community & Marketing Manager over at Mashable, Tamar has been all up in social interactions for the better part of 15 years. Though she looks far to young to have all of that meaty experience, her blog posts will satiate with concentrated insight and glimpses into her personal experiences of everything social. 

Writing

Thursday Bram – Thursday’s Blog – Lots of blogs discuss writing, Thursday’s blog gets down to the logistics of writing for a living, nitty gritty included.

Meryl K. Evans  – Meryl.net  – With a strong tech background, Meryl’s understanding of how to write both accurately and engagingly for new media makes her blog an invaluable resource.

New Media

Kathryn Jennex – Kathryn’s Blog  –  With the eye of an artist, Kathryn takes on new media through the view finder of a true creative.

Shai Coggins  – Studio Notes – The co-founder of b5 Media, Shai is intimately acquainted with both print and online media. And it’s no surprise she’s packing a Psych Master’s Degree, because she gets what it is that drives readers.

Juliette Powell  –  Juliette’s Blog  – Juliette refers to herself as an “integrated media specialist” and I couldn’t agree more. She fuses online and real-time expertise to stay seated at the crossroads of what we’ve learned and where we’re going. Her excellent blog posts aren’t as frequent as I’d like, but they are always well worth the wait.

Sarah Austin  – Pop 17 – Sarah’s entertaining posts are both thought provoking and relevant while still being charming. Think the girl you sat next to in art class meets a successful online presence.

Sarah Prout – Sprout  – More of an online media curator, Sarah posts the fascinating and the gorgeous for your reading pleasure.

Marketing

Lisa Barone – Outspoken Media – Lisa’s honest observations call it how she sees it within the industry.

Susan Getgood – Marketing Roadmaps – A smart marketing blog with its attention focused on results.

Sonia Simone – Remarkable Communication – The self-proclaimed “marketer for people who hate marketing,” communication and strong customer relations are her causes célèbres.

Rita McGrath – Rita’s Blog – As a Columbia Business School professor, Rita’s analysis of strategy and entrepreneurship goes beyond just an academic perspective to sketch a holistic profile.

Maisha Walker  – The Internet Strategist  –  Demystifying internet marketing since 2004, Maisha’s style is clear and easy to understand, as is befitting of one with her passion for languages.

Martina Zavagno – Adverblog – Working with a premium sports brand has given Martina an insider perspective on integrated marketing, and she’s willing to share!

Nettie Hartsock – Nettie’s Blog – She’s a journalist and a digital strategist, which you can tell by her easily read and understood blog posts.

Shelly Kramer  – Vision. Voice. Value. – Adept at helping brands find their “voice” in the social space, Shelly’s own voice stands out as personable and knowledgeable without using dozens of cheap buzzwords. 

Branding

Valeria Maltoni  – Conversation Agent  – Valeria helps businesses understand the way that consumers and their communities have changed the conversation.

Laura Ries  – Ries’ Pieces  – Widely considered to  be a branding expert, she blogs infrequently, but her posts are meaty with plenty of observations to digest.
   

Marketing to Women

Andrea Learned – Learned on Women –  With a concentration on marketing to women, Andrea’s posts hone in on what we can learn about all consumers and campaigns by focusing on women in the marketplace.

Stephanie Holland  – She-conomy – Stephanie’s charmingly witty observations about the mistakes made when marketing to women will have you both entertained and careful not to wind up on that list.

Michele Miller  – Wonder Branding  – With such a diverse resume, Michele is the ideal candidate to speak to large brands, but she’s also cheeky and honest, which is why she is the perfect candidate to speak to everyone.

Holly Buchanan – Marketing to Women Online – You can tell that Holly has experience as both a copywriter and creative director because she tends to focus on the importance of reception, rather than just presentation.

Coree Silvera – Market Like A Chick – Thoughtful, in depth, and most importantly, topical. Coree doesn’t miss an opportunity to take on even controversial subjects in marketing.

Political

Sara K. Smith – Wonkette – Following in the grand tradition of the original Wonkette, Ana Marie Cox, Sara blogs snarky and sassy about all things political.

Cheryl Contee – Jack & Jill Politics –  Situated at the intersection of race and politics, Cheryl Contee aka Jill Tubman keeps a close watch on goings-on and calls it like she sees it.

Carmen Van Kerckhove – Racialicious  –  A smart blog about race and pop culture in a world that thinks we don’t necessarily need to discuss race and pop culture anymore. Carmen Van Kerckhove is fearless and articulate, writing and curating posts that will get you thinking and even, on occasion, laughing.

Fashion

Heather & Jessica – Go Fug Yourself  – Slightly snarky, witty, but most importantly dead-on point fashion bloggers Heather & Jessica have been critiquing celebrity couture with sass for quite some time now. Though they aren’t your mother’s polite fashion bloggers, they always manage to tell the truth without being blatantly nasty, making for an wholesomely entertaining read on eye candy.

Julia Roy – Julia’s Blog – As the Senior Manager of New Media at Coach, not only is Julia Roy a serious fashionista, she’s also quite the savvy media minx. She uses her personable blogging style to highlight how she’s fusing cutting edge social tactics with the creative vision of one of the most respected luxury brands.

Non-Profits

Beth Kanter – Beth’s Blog – With a vault of non-profit successes from which to draw, Beth tracks and blogs about social strategies that work for non-profits on a mission.

Kivi Leroux Miller – Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog – As a do-it-yourself nonprofit marketer, Kivi has a whole arsenal of suggestions for how to market when your organization struggles with a lack of funds and time.

Ruby Sinreich  – Lotus Media – An activist and a developer, Ruby finds time to blog about the intersection of social spaces and doing good, especially on a local level. Her experienced-based posts are rich reads, and occasional new baby pics are just icing on the blog cake.

Katya Andresen – Getting To The Point  – With all of that Network For Good experience under her belt, Katya’s personal blog is full of advice on what she calls “Robin Hood Marketing” – the idea of stealing from corporate savvy to sell just causes. Her personal passion fuses with her professional expertise for a read that is both applicable and compelling.