Well, I got tagged by blogging rookie Ed Lau, so it’s time for me to present to you five of my favorite blogs. I read each of these on a daily basis (if not more often), either for pleasure or as part of my freelance writing adventure. Web 2.0 is taking the world by storm, and everyone is entitled to their own voice online via a blog, whether it’s self-hosted or one of those freebie Blogspot ones.

The top five blogs that I read, in no particular order, are…

1. Kumiko Suzuki – There has been some debate over whether Kumiko is really who she says she is. Some have said that (s)he is really a middle-aged white man in Arkansas, but even so, (s)he has done a great job marketing and promoting the blog, which now has its own domain. The information is designed to help you make money online, and unlike John Chow, the money that Kumiko makes is actually realistic for the beginning blogger.

2. Darren Barefoot – Maybe it’s because he’s a fellow Vancouverite (although he’s currently in Malta for an indeterminate length of time), technologist, and writer, but there’s something about Darren that feels oddly familiar. His personal blog talks about all sorts of stuff, from fun web developments to national sodas, and the greatest thing about it is that it really does feel personal. There’s a good, fairly well educated community that frequents his blog, including my friend Joseph Planta. It’s good reading and, thankfully, most of the entries are surprisingly short and to the point.

3. Kotaku – I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember. Although my casual gaming buddy John Bardinelli writes for Joystiq, I prefer the editorial style at Kotaku for reasons that I can’t quite comprehend. The coverage is good, light-hearted, and up-to-date.

4. Autoblog – I wouldn’t exactly categorize myself as a gearhead, but I do like to keep up to date on the automotive world. I enjoy reading about (and seeing) crazy concept vehicles and even business news — like the recent sale of the Chrysler Group — is of interest to me, not only professionally, but personally as well. In all likelihood, I will never afford a Ferrari in my lifetime, but it’s still fun to read about them.

5. the.[ED]ition – Although he seems to know his way around a computer (and his way around pissing off London Drugs customers), Ed Lau is relatively new to the blogging scene. He says that his blog provides “100% of your daily recommended intake of awesome”, and while I don’t think it really lives up to that proclamation, he still provides some good reading. A good number of the posts are entertainment related (movies, music, etc.), but he also tosses in hockey, meta-blogging, and random other subjects from time to time.

I would have included Mobile Magazine on this list, but considering that I write for them, it’d probably come off as a conflict of interest. The same can be said about John Chow dot Com, but I wholeheartedly recommend both of those sites to anyone interested in mobile technology and making money online… I’m sure you can figure out which blog is for which.

Anyways, as is customary with these kinds of things, it’s time for me to pay it forward and tag three other bloggers to share the top five blogs that they read. Stephen Fung, Kumiko Suzuki, and Jane May, consider yourself tagged.