Today’s guest post is by Lindsay Bell.

Here at Spin Sucks we highly value our amazing community (the crazies, as Gini Dietrich affectionately calls you), and our incredible (and ever growing) roster of guest bloggers provide an invaluable resource to each and every one of us.

That old adage “you learn something new every day” certainly rings true for me as I get to work with each of you prior to publication, and then read and engage with the comments and added insights from our community.

There’s nothing like seeing the flip side of the coin on an issue or an industry trend.

So, without further ado, gather ’round for a special edition of Spin Sucks. Drum roll please…..!!

Today we announce the top 10 guest posts from the last half of 2012 (July 1 – December 31).

#1 – With a topic that’s near and dear to my heart – and just getting in under the wire – Andy Crestodina delivered Overcome Writer’s Block Forever on July 2nd. The two biggest blocks for writers? Not being prepared, and not caring about your subject. And he quotes Ray Bradbury. Go and read it again.

#2 – Bacon. Really, what more is there to say? On August 27th Jason Miller brought us Five Things Bacon Can Teach Us About Content Marketing. Want to un-baby your Facebook wall and see bacon pics instead? There’s a Chrome extension for that. Check it out.

#3 – Uh oh. Gini might never live this one down. Sean McGinnis preached on August 23rd with Online Reputation Management: A How To Guide. Third place has never tasted sweeter, right Sean? Let the teasing begin.

#4 – Well hello! It’s our own Yvette Pistorio with an October 17th post about Instagram. Not only does Instagram make Yvette feel like Ansel Adams (Exaggerate? Who me??), it has inspired organizations to get visually creative with their brands. Check out Four Brands Using Instagram Really Well for more.

#5 – At the half-way mark, Amy McCloskey Tobin breaks up with Facebook. And right before Christmas! What a meanie. Is it Time to Breakup With Facebook was published on December 4th. On December 5th Facebook returned Amy’s Christmas present.

#6 – We had a couple of double winners on this list – and here’s our first one: Yvette Pistorio again with a September 12th post titled How to Make Social Media Less of a Time Suck. Yvette is a content machine here at Arment Dietrich and we’re very proud of her for making this list twice. That said, we are contacting our lawyers in case one of you cries “fixed”!! (Trust me. I double checked. If this were fixed I would have made the top 10. Harumph.)

#7 – This September 18th post by Stacey Acevero explored an issue that really irks me. Fakes and cheaters. Faking it on Social Media: What are the Costs? illustrates how fakers are undermining social media’s credibility, and why building a network of followers the old fashioned way is preferable. It’s well worth another read.

#8 – Here’s our second double winner of the day – Andy Crestodina takes the eighth spot with his December 3rd post simply titled I Hate Social Media. Don’t we all, some days? But he also proves, with three set-it-and-forget-it tips, that even if social media isn’t for you, you don’t have to be completely left behind.

#9 – On September 24th, Tyler Orchard presented his post Social Media has Created Two Types of Users. He breaks down The Value Adders and The Group Thinkers. One is vanity driven. One, not so much. Think you know which is which? Want to find out which one you are? Go and give it another read.

#10 – Last but certainly not least, Melissa Woodson rounded out the month of August with Five Tips for Holding a Twitter Chat that Doesn’t Suck, on the 30th. As she points out in her piece, Twitter chats are a golden opportunity to share your expertise and knowledge. Don’t host one that falls flat and sends people fleeing from their computers.

So, what have I extrapolated from this exercise? What key data points will I now create an analytics spreadsheet for in order to determine the takeaway….are you frikken’ kidding me? Do you not know me? I don’t do analytics (Well, I didn’t. I’m learning. Slow and steady wins the race.).

Seriously though, my takeaway from this exercise is that we have an extraordinary group of people here. Whether you’re a lurker, one of our commenting crazies, or already part of our guest blogging roster, you’ve each helped this blog become what it is today. And we thank you.

Now, take your bows everyone!

If you wish to contribute ideas for a guest post, drop me a line at LBell(at)armentdietrich(dot)com.

Lindsay Bell is the content director at Arment Dietrich, and works in Toronto. A former TV producer, she’s a strong advocate of three minutes or less of video content. She has a cool kid, a patient husband, and two annoying cats. 

Lindsay Bell

Lindsay Bell is the content director at V3 Marketing, and works in Toronto. A former TV producer, she’s a strong advocate of three minutes or less of video content. She has a cool kid, a patient husband, two annoying cats, and Hank Dawge, a Vizsla/Foxhound/moose hybrid. Ok, maybe not moose.

View all posts by Lindsay Bell