BlogCatalog - Trick or Treating for Bloggers

Me going through the blogs at BlogCatalog

I’ve recently become a member of BlogCatalog and it’s like I’m in blogger heaven. You could call it blogger-mania. It’s blog-a-licous! Actually, I feel like I’m spinning in a blogger vortex that would put Gustav to shame. (Although Gustav was a pretty lame hurricane, as hurricanes go.)

For those of you who don’t know what BlogCatalog is, it’s a blogger social network--a kind of grown up MySpace for bloggers. BlogCatalog describes itself as “more than just a social community of bloggers; we are one of the largest blog directories on the internet. Whether you are looking to search blogs, connect with bloggers, learn more about blogging, or promote your own blog, BlogCatalog is for you.” Honestly, they had me at hello.

BlogCatalog is definitely cool and it totally lives up to its name. And it’s very easy to join. Simply fill out your profile and post your blog. They send a verification email to your email address and then review your blog. Once approved, you are ready to rock and roll.

BlogCatalog is chock full of features, like an easy-to-follow dashboard, plenty of blog groups, an awesome blog detail page, and tons more. But the features are only a small part of the picture. What makes BlogCatalog so great are the bloggers themselves. These amazing, crazy, determined, unabashed, sophisticated, edgy, and surprisingly down-to-earth quasi-journalists who bare their soles and share their lives have drawn me into their world and sent me reeling.

I feel like a little kid at an amusement park with too many rides to choose from, running from roller coaster to funhouse to the merry-go-round, not sure which to go on first. Each blog is a unique ride in itself and every time I think a blog can’t be topped, a new one comes along and knocks me off my feet.

One of my newest friends on BlogCatalog is Gay firefighter - a closeted, 30 something-year-old gay fire fighter from the UK whose blog is gritty, sexy, and galvanizing. The first time I read his blog, I was ready to put on my rubber boots, jump a plane to England, and join a local fire house. And that’s saying something, because the most rugged thing I’ve ever done is mow my lawn.

Then there’s Johnny Darko (real name?) and his Life and Times in Hollweird blog, who provides an insider’s outside look to all things entertainment. He calls himself Johnny Darko. What more can I say?

And what about Nanny Goat? Her blog, Nanny Goats In Panties, is totally outrageous. Her motto is “It’s just one bleeping thing after another, but if you laugh, it will have all been worth it.” It’s true! I laughed and it was definitely worth it.

Or Pascal H and his blog, The 40 Blazing Years of One Failed Star. This guy has an amazing gift for narrative and he sells his life stories like they were gooey, iced cinnamon buns with a side of strong, black coffee. I can hardly wait for the movie!

But there are so many more, like the blog I Do Things So You Don’t Have To. The name tells it all. Or More Than Burnt Toast, The Galley Boys, Prepare to Be Absurd-ized, and Your Online Handyman. And I haven’t even mentioned the great blogs I stumbled on prior to joining BlogCatalog.

I know I’ve missed a bunch blogs as good as the ones I’ve already mentioned so please don’t be mad if I skipped over your blog. I’m in blog-overload. It’s like Halloween night when you get home and dump all that glorious candy onto the kitchen table--so many choices and all so tempting. Since there’s no mom here to sort through the night’s big haul, I’ve turned into Daffy Duck jumping up and down exclaiming, “It’s mine! It’s mine! It’s all mine!” And it can be all yours too at BlogCatalog.com.

For more information about the blogs mentioned in my post, check my side bar or go to BlogCatalog and see for yourself.