There are many blogs about social media or social good or both. The field is crowded and good voices can get lost in the hubbub. We evaluated a lot of them to find those whose clarity, practicality, and style seemed worthy of a megaphone. These are the blogs we think you should turn to first for answers about how to use social media for social good. OK. We admit it: A few of them don’t have a social-good focus but their social media insights are so good and so readable that values-driven organizations will get a lot out of reading them.

We congratulate all those on the list and urge them to to post their badges proudly.

Who We Are

Geri Stengel, entrepreneur and founder of Ventureneer

I was a content curator before the term became fashionable. I love to gather, synthesize, and analyze information. I relish sorting through the hype and jargon of new technology to uncover the benefits. Then I translate them into plain English for real people. I look for practical information about using social media for social good, but also information that helps people perfect their technical skills.

Alice Itty, social media consultant

I’ve been interested in a media related career since I was a teenager. Years in the nonprofit sector gave me a bird’s eye view of direct marketing. Now, my focus is integrating social media and email into marketing plans for nonprofits. I gravitate towards blogs that help me learn about myself, that offer relevant news or show me a better way to do something. I also read blogs that are fluff and entertainment … just to balance my blog diet.

Charlotte Dion, content consultant and social good librarian

After more than 20 years working in nonprofits and raising kids, my guiding principle at work and at home is “I can’t make it perfect but I can make it better”. I’m impatient with technology so I look for tech blogs that are clear, jargon-free and accessible to less advanced users. I like reading blogs by people who would make good colleagues or friends, and who make me think.

Janet Giampietro, designer and tweet-meister

@JanetGiampietro: Creative, curious explorer of conversation that shapes + informs + challenges #socialmedia dev / ?s everything ~ except chocolate

Molly Sugarman, writer and editor

Like the mongoose in Rudyard Kipling’s “Rikki Tikki Tavi,” my mantra has always been “Run and find out.” I ask questions, which can be annoying. But I just really need to understand! Journalism was my calling, not a job. In choosing my favorite blogs, I looked for those who are clear, to the point, and give me the option to dig deeper: Quick, useful information with links to in-depth resources.

Zein Rahemtulla, social media consultant

I'm into a lot of things - food, art, technology, music, education, traveling, and diverse cultures. I keep abreast of my interests and share them through social media, which are rich in opinions, theories, ideologies, facts, fiction and expressive, informative material. I gravitate to blogs that are well laid out, easy to sift through, organized, user-friendly, publish original content, and have a clear purpose. But the deciding factor is content.

Our Favorites

Our reviewers named their personal favorites, without regard to the numbers. Two blogs stood out in this subjective vote:

Staff picks reflect the diversity of our experience and our personal priorities.

Geri: Netwits Think Tank, Socialbrite, Social Media Explorer, with Honorable Mentions to Allison Fine and Mashable’s Social Good section (not a blog site, but a good news site for keeping up with what’s happening in the sector).
Alice: Social Media Explorer, Social Mouths.
Charlotte: Nonprofit Tech 2.0, Nonprofit Marketing blog, with an honorable mention to Geoff Livingston.
Janet: Social Media Explorer, Nonprofit Marketing Guide, Geoff Livingston.
Molly: Nonprofit Tech 2.0, Nonprofit Marketing Guide, with Honorable Mentions to Big Duck and Allison Fine.
Zein: Amy Sample Ward, Nonprofit Tech 2.0, Socialbrite.

How We Rated Them

Top blogs were selected using the following criteria:

Content (60% weight)

Relevance: Is the content on target for those using social media to make the world a better place?
Value: Does the content provide practical knowledge, related to real-life problems?

Readability (30% weight)

Writing: Is the content written in an informative, engaging, and jargon-free manner? Does the blogger(s) use a variety of formats?
Ease of use: Does the blog make the story easy to read/scan by using bullet points and subheads? Is finding information on the site easy? Is the length of posts appropriate and not intimidating?

PageRank (10% weight): A Google measure for size and authority (based on the number and importance of the back links the blog has).