Brad Marley

Photo courtesy of Bob_Collins. (It popped up when I did a search for ‘social media rockstars’.)

In my blog queue, there is a finished blog post that will likely never see the light of day.

It’s titled ”How To Be A Social Media Rockstar In Five Easy Steps!”

It’s sarcastic. It’s snooty. And I love it.

It was written on a day when I wasn’t feeling the Twitter love, or some of the personalities I come across on my network. 

So I sat down and started typing. The end result was some of the most fulfilling and freeing writing I’ve produced in a long time. I took off the restraints and just spilled my guts on the paper.

The problem, however, is that, unless you really know me (which probably isn’t true for most people who stumble upon my blog), you might take it the wrong way and think I’m bashing all of social media, which is not the case at all.

Like all things popular that rocket into our collective consciousness, social media can be (and is) ripe for ridicule. So I banged out something that I thought was pretty funny. (Again, if you know me.)

But in today’s online scene, where anything and everything you say can be held against you, I feel it wouldn’t be worth the time it took to post if, someday, somebody comes across the entry and holds it against me, or a client reads it and takes it the wrong way.

It just doesn’t seem worthy of the snicker, or two, that it might steal from a random reader.

‘Course, Feedburner tells me I have two subscribers.

Maybe I’m over-thinking.

What would you do?

One year ago today I started writing this blog without a firm idea of where it was headed. 

And you know what?

I still don't.

The only thing I can say, with certainty, is that I'm not famous.

But I can say some other things with certainty. 

This blog:

It seems every single blog I read over the holiday contained some form of new year's resolution.  Since I like to pick up fads at the tail end of their popularity, I thought now is the best time to share my resolutions.

Six of them, to be precise.

1. Be myself.

They say the hardest part about blogging is finding your voice. I've been at this for almost eleven months and there are still times when I click to publish and it looks like somebody else wrote the post. I plan to nip that in the bud in twenty ten.

2. Start watching Mad Men.

Okay. There has to be a reason why everybody I know on Facebook watches this show. Like I said above, I like grabbing onto fads as they flame out, so getting up to speed before season 4 starts should be par for the course. [Editor's note: He started watching last night.]

3. Learn how to play the guitar.

Because everybody needs one resolution they will give up halfway through the year, if not sooner.

4. Invent the first brain-to-PC thought processing software.

My best blog ideas always hit when I'm in the shower or driving to work, never when I'm sitting in front of my computer. The only way to fix this problem is if I implant something in my brain that allows me to send a blog entry back to my computer via my brain waves. Sounds simple.

5. Create "The List" with my wife.

It's a proven fact that every couple has a secret list of celebrities — usually five– that they would leave their spouse for, written jointly with the understanding that if a celeb on that list propositions your spouse, they are free to run away with no strings attached. My wife and I don't have one but it's high time we do. After all, 2010 could be the year I bump into Jenna Fischer at Trader Joe's.

6. Post at least 2x a week.

The blogging rules dictate you have to blog at least three times per week to stay relevant, but I think that's reserved for people who want to become professional bloggers (whatever that means.) I'm not here to make a living. Unless, of course, you're an agent who likes what you've read so far and you think "The Life of Brad Marley: The True Story Of a Newbie Blogger" has "blockbuster" written all over it. In that case, send me an e-mail. If not, know that I will strive to provide something twice weekly, even if I let my daughter pound the keyboard for 20 minutes.

What are your resolutions that will inevitably be broken?

I subscribe to 61 blogs.

But, as you can probably imagine, I have a hard time keeping up when I have to chase a two-year old around the house while holding a two-month old.

Until technology gives me the ability to upload new blog posts directly into my brain, I mostly skim the headlines and read the ones that grab my attention.

However, there are a handful of blogs I read when they are updated, no matter how busy I am.

And, I have to say, I get a little excited when I open my reader and see their blog titles highlighted, indicating a new post.

Rather than keep these gems to myself, I want to share them with you so you can subscribe and join in on the joy.

1. The Writer's Coin- The tagline reads, "Making Money Interesting." It's a personal finance blog that doesn't read like one, if that makes any sense.

2.  I Will Teach You To Be Rich – This personal finance guru teaches you how to optimize your money by automating your investments and savings. (I would also suggest reading his book, which is a step-by-step guide to financial freedom. No. It really is.)

3. Journalistics - A blog about journalism, public relations and social media. From a PR professional's point-of-view, it's the best of, uh, all worlds.

4. ChrisBrogan.com – I know he's on every single blog suggestion list, but there's a reason for that. His posts are insanely simple and smart.

5. The Abundance Blog – At first glance, this blog looks like just another self-help blog. But there is so much valuable information on becoming more creative and productive that you would be crazy to not stop by.

These are five blogs I vouch for as being worth your time.

What blogs do you like to read?

It's the dilemma facing hundreds, if not thousands, of people today.

Do I retweet a great post? Or, do I leave a comment? (I won't introduce the third option, which is leaving a comment on the blogger's Facebook page.)

From a blogger who's been at this for eight months point-of-view, comments lend legitimacy to the blog, but retweets potentially introduce your name to a wider audience.

It's a conundrum to be considered, for sure.

Try not to lose too much sleep over this.