In the book Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi discusses the successful networking techniques that are valuable in creating a successful career. Since reading the book a year ago, I started using many of the techniques discussed in the book. One tool that wasn’t discussed was blogging. I believe that blogging can be a valuable tool in networking. It is a great way to keep those people that are interested in your life up to date on your happenings. Additionally, blogs can be extremely useful when introducing yourself to others. After you meet someone and give them your business card, you can send a follow-up email that also includes a link to your blog. Your blog ends up branding you. If you are involved in marketing, then you can discuss valuable marketing techniques. If you are involved in technology, write about new things happening in the technology world. Bottom line, no matter what industry you are in, you should be writing about it. I have found that the majority of successful authors and web executives all have blogs. Many of their blogs are among the most visited blogs on the web. As such, I have decided to publish a short list of the top 5 bloggers who I perceive as having highly successful careers. I attribute much of their success to great schmoozing and excellent self-branding. The list follows below and is in no specific order.

• Keith Ferrazzi - This one is a no brainer. Not only the author of “Never Eat Alone”, Keith is also the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a marketing and sales consulting company. Keith utilized all of the key networking techniques outlined in his book to become the youngest Chief Marketing Officer ever of a Fortune 500 company. Go check out the Never Eat Alone blog.
• Seth Godin - Seth Godin is the author of seven international best sellers. He is also the founder and CEO of Squidoo. Check out Seth’s Blog.
• Michael Arrington - Mike is the only person on here who isn’t a published author. While I hold a high value on writing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the writing needs to be in the form of a book. After being called a power broker by Wall Street Journal, I think Mike deserves his recognition. Check out Mike’s blog or the blog that helped him become a “Power Broker”, Techcrunch.
• Guy Kawasaki - Guy is a highly successful technology evangelist who has written a number of bestseller books. I didn’t hear about Guy until I read his blog. You should go check his blog.
• Me! Not really, although I do like to think of myself as a good schmoozer. The fifth position was too difficult of a choice so I decided to skip this one. If you have any suggestions for the person that should show up here, please post them in the comments.