"I just got the Bergdorf Goodman spring shoe catalog the other day, and I'm inspired!" wrote Julie Dam, a People magazine editor, earlier this spring on her blog, Somelikeithaute.com.
Dam, 34, a music and celebrity weddings editor for the magazine in New York, started her shoe-centric blog almost a year ago as a promotional tool for her recently published chick-lit novel by the same name. Writing in the chatty voice of Alex Simons, Dam's alter ego and the novel's endearing shopaholic heroine, Dam accompanies each blog entry with a photo of her feet in a selection from her real-life designer footwear collection that includes Pradas, Manolos and Guccis.
"I'm more well-rounded than people think," Dam writes. "I'm not just about shoes. I like handbags and sweaters, too."
Dam's online diary of fashionable observations is among the vast number of blogs that continue to explode on the Internet. According to Derek Gordon of Technorati, a San Francisco-based search engine that tracks 31.5 million blogs, the number of blogs is doubling every 5 1/2 months.
People are also reading…
Although most Web logs are musings by a writer and meant as a private journal of sorts shared with a few select people, more and more have taken on a large following.
Some bloggers are "rock stars" who have a large readership
"Most blogs are written for the benefit of the individual and their close circle of family and friends," Gordon says. "Then there are the 'rock star bloggers,' about 5,000 in number, who have a large readership, advertising on their blogs, and focus on a single subject or developing an expertise."
Among them are blogs about style, fashion and beauty.
While some bloggers say they do it simply to share their sartorial passion, others like Dam have also tapped into blogging to further their writing careers.
"Lots of authors have their own Web sites, but the blog is actually about them," says Dam, who gets an average of 750 readers per day. "Making the blog about my character was something new and different. It's helped get people who just like reading my blog to go buy the book, and it's helped with the press I've been getting online."
Maggie Mason started the shopping blog Mightygoods.com in 2004. The San Francisco-based freelance writer had the idea after launching her personal blog Mightygirl.com in 2000 and seeing its readership grow.
"Wear this long pendant with your favorite tank top, or let it peek out from a deep neckline. The perfect complement to your cleavage," writes Mason about a minimalist circle pendant necklace that she found online.
Mightygoods.com, updated five days a week, is a collection of online retail finds and links to where they can be purchased. Products are selected with Mason's eye for the clean and modern, from jewelry and clothes to gourmet foods and housewares.
Some land jobs via blogs
The blog has even attracted a few small advertisers, and while Mason would not disclose actual figures, she says she makes enough money to run the site and pocket a little extra. It averages about 3,000 readers each day.
Mason's blogging habit also landed her most of her freelance jobs. Editing and writing assignments from online weekly magazine the Morning News to print publications such as The New York Times have come by way of editors who happened upon her blogs, she says.
"A good blog can keep you at the top of people's minds," Mason says. "They think of you when they need to hire someone, because they read your stuff every few days."
What does she think makes a good blog?
"Good writing, quality content, frequent postings and a clean design can't hurt," Mason says.
Sure, there are tons of blogs out there, but which ones are worth a daily click? Check out this sampling of popular style sites in the blogosphere:
Quirky photos of the blogger's feet in her designer shoes accompanied by her fashion-related musings, by a chick-lit author and senior editor at People magazine.
A practical shopping blog of beautiful gifts and personal goods with a clean, modern aesthetic. An online hybrid of Lucky and Dwell magazines.
An assortment of pop-culture commentary, food, fashion and designer-shoe-shopping advice by a witty personality named Manolo — but not shoe designer Manolo Blahnik.
● www.fashiontribes. typepad.com
Up-to-the-minute fashion, beauty, lifestyle and pop-culture dish from the editors of Fashion Tribes magazine.
A chatty shopping blog devoted to stylish tech toys and other geeky gal gizmos.
Fashion and beauty trends — and advice on how to wear them. The two bloggers are also regular contributors to Jane Magazine's blog at www.janemag.com/fashion/ blogs
● www.slavetotarget.blog spot.com
Devoted to digging for fashionable budget finds at mass-retailer Target.
Notes on pop culture, fashion and "all things fabulous."
