Relationship Blogging and Digg

Today is Australia Day the equivalent of the 4th of July for my buddies over the ocean. So, I'm chilling out a bit, taking the kids out for the day, and trying to avoid the computer. My wife thinks it's a miracle if I can go even half a day without checking Liz Strauss' site, and realized (slightly embarrassingly) that she is the doyenne of "relationship blogging" and I had not mentioned her. So I did that in an update. And then at midnight my time, she and I connected up on Skype for a great chat that went on for more than an hour. Thanks Liz, for some wonderful encouragement and advice! What I appreciated most about Liz what her obvious depth of insight and experience, her kindness towards me, and her high-touch approach (a Skype call). She's not just talking relational blogging - she's living it. Also, a blogger who's caught my eye is This post on becoming a Digg front-page regular is one I have read very carefully and thoughtfully, as it's a challenge I am trying to rise to. Baron can talk - he's had three stories made popular so far. Well done, mate! And finally (I said this would be quick), I am completing my first week using Mint, the blog stats package for Wordpress from Google Analytics, I made the switch, and I am quite pleased, but with some reservations, which I'll talk about. Stand by for that : ) Alister's blog is a rich tapestry of advice, anecdotes and reflections from the frontline of professional blogging, social media and search engine marketing, and never without generous dollops of humor and wit.