The Top Thinkers of Beyond the Rhetoric

While I normally wait until a month has officially concluded before tipping my hat to the top thinkers, it’s unlikely that the fine people topping the list will be changing in the next few hours. I feel it is important that I give proper credit where it’s due and this blog simply would not be the same without the reader interaction in the form of comments. I really appreciate all of your input.

The total comment count isn’t quite as impressive in September as it was in some earlier months, but that might be because some people don’t have as much time on their hands now that summer is over. We are seeing all familiar faces for this month’s top thinkers, repeating four out of the five names that we saw in August. Only one name has changed, though she has made the cut in the past.

Ray Ebersole has managed to rise back to the top of the thinkers list again, even though the new school year is in full swing and he’s probably very busy with work. Perhaps it is because he is surrounded by some smart kids that he is starting to wonder what all the geniuses are doing. If America is filled with so many bright minds, he asks, why can’t it be provided with more fuel-efficient vehicles? Electric vehicles?

EarningStep is very interested in the art of making money online and he’s learning a lot along the way. While it is certainly important to focus on the core content of your blog, it is also important to optimize your sidebar. A few minor tweaks to your sidebar can make a world of difference in your blog quality. Can you balance user experience with optimal monetization?

dcr, who is known in the offline world as Dan C. Rinnert, continues our educational journey by describing ten stories from high school. Some people remember those days through rose-tinted glasses; others remember the teenage angst. And Dan? He remembers the girl who drove a pickup truck to school with a mattress in the back. I guess that’s one way to catch an afternoon nap.

betshopboy has been blogging quite a bit about his marathon running (and training) lately, but he got to observe a different kind of race recently. He managed to score great grandstand seats to the 2009 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix. The Formula One race cars were flying by at 300 kilometres an hour and betshopboy has some fun pictures to document his experience.

Lesley is fully engulfed in her latest studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. As you may have heard, she’s enrolled in the Public Relations program there. Since Lesley is so busy with her homework, she hasn’t been able to keep up with blog updates. Going back to August, we do find a very valuable post on Facebook and bosses though. You need to remember that anyone can read what you post online, including your boss.