The Best Blogs - 2010 Edition

Sometimes we cruise the web for a purpose - we want to socialize, we need to buy something or we need to research a term or issue.  But  many times we hop on simply becuase we're bored or need a brief escape from the day. 

Here are some of my favorite daily, weekly and monthly blogs that, in my opinion, are perfect for these situations.  The daily ones are updated most frequently while the weekly and monthly ones, though less prolific, are incredibly insightful and thought provoking. 

Enjoy and please let me know some of your favorites.  I'm always looking for new ones to add to my bookmarks!

Daily

1. Dlisted.com: Snarky, clever, acerbic, endearing and delightful commentary on the A - Z listers making headlines, quirky happenings and the downright unbelievable!
2. Gawker.com:  Pop culture, politics, entertainment and some New Yawk local happenings thrown in for good measure. With ears to the ground across all corners of the interwebs, the site is updated frequently by a variety of voices.  (Tip: many times the comments are just as interesting as the articles themselves).
3. Jezebel.com: Women's lib a thing of the past? Pshaw! Every modern gal should have this site in her list of "favorites" - whether a hipster, a stay at home mom or a driven career woman.
4. Consumerist.com: Consumerist gives the "little guy" a voice by highlighting issues that individuals have against products or big business.  The publicity many times results in a resolution.  There's also a lot of great articles on new products and tips to help us all become more informed, savvier consumers. The daily deals feature will keep you coming back!
5. Reddit.com:    In a nutshell, Reddit is a forum where people can anonymously post up-to-the-minute information based on a variety of topics.  Real-time votes give relevance "cred" to the best content.   It's hard to describe - you simply have to see it to get it.  Warning: it's addictive!
6. TheDailyBeast.com:  A news source with a finger on the pulse of politics and pop culture.  When you don't have time to peruse at a leisurely pace, the daily "Cheat Sheet" is a helpful snapshot that gives you an idea of everything you need to know for the day. 

Weekly

1. 2birds1blog.com: 2b1b chronicles the life of the funniest 20-something you will ever "meet."  Meghan is a real person with real problems and her penchant for getting into awkward situations is pretty remarkable.  She chronicles these happenings in a hilarious and endearing style that is simply addictive.  Her friend Chris is a great partner in crime who also contributes a number of interesting features.
2. YouJustMadeMyList.com: When I stumbled upon YJMML, I was so happy to learn that I wasn't the only one that got annoyed by everything from trends and pop culture to regular daily occurrences. The blog combines frustration and outrage with a humorous spin that helps us all feel like we've vented!

Monthly

1. Zenhabits.net: Everyone needs to relax, de-clutter and decompress - yet these necessities are never as high on our priority lists as we need them to be.  Zen Habits has just the right ideas to get us started.  
2. InformationIsBeautiful.net:  There's a plethora of information out there that we would all be better for understanding, but simply reviewing facts and figures does not always help.  An infographic is a visual representation of a complex set of information  or data to better help people "get it" in a simple, easily digestible way - and it's fun! Check out the fascinating info on IIB, you'll never want to see a standard chart again!

I am not going to condone celebrity gossip sites with  trashy, mindless or mean content for responsible consumption, but sometimes some people need their fix (surely not me, I certainly don't check these sites all the time, they're definitely not programmed into my iGoogle). No links - but they rhyme with Shmerez Shmilton, ShteeShemShzee, Shmadar Shmonline and Shmex Shmeventeen Shmonline.