Emptybottle.org

I'm just about ready to stop flogging this whole blog-advertising ex-horse, but I thought rather than my normal negative nattering, I'd do something positive for a change, and, you know, like, reclaim the streets, or re-frame the conversation, or some damn thing. How? Well, some free advertising for people I know and love, to one degree or another, in my overlapping weblog neighbourhoods. Why flog what you can merely blog?

Here are some of the people that I like to read, and here are some of the books and things they've made. I've probably missed more than a few folks, what with my advanced beeriform encephalitis, but if you happen to be one of the ones I have missed, or you think of someone, then I entreat you to leave a quick comment, and I'll pop you (or them) on to the list.

I'm breaking one of my personal rules about linking to Amazon, here, but I don't have one of those bogus affiliate ID things, so I won't make a dime off the deal if you buy any of the books or music here. The idea, see, is that the people who created the things will. What do I get out of it? A bathwater-warm wash of moral superiority, of course, that will no doubt make me more obnoxious than ever. And perhaps a smidgeon or two of goodwill, which I still believe has some value in our mercantilized metaverse of blogtribes.

• First up, Shelley Powers, who has helped me with weblogging more times than I can count. Her latest is Practical RDF. Go buy it.
• Rageboy and his handler, Chris Locke, write the way, and at a sustained volume (both in words in decibels), that I only dream of being able to match. Criminally underappreciated is Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst Practices. Go buy it.
• Joe Duemer, who writes online at chujoe.net, weaves words beautifully. Buy some of his poetry.
• AKMA has written some stuff that would no doubt make my brain throb, if I could afford to order real books on real paper. That shouldn't stop you, my big-brained readers. Go buy some of his work.
• David Weinberger thinks big thoughts about this crap, most of which I find myself agreeing with. I tire of his endless conference reportage, but he's still The Man, and you should buy some of his books.
• The mighty Matt Haughey, most famously the owner-proprietor of the always-annoying but indispensable Metafilter, where the wonderchicken first rose to the august position in the globe of blogs that he now enjoys, has been involved in a few books about this webberyloggery. You should buy them.
• Cory Doctorow gets dissed all the damn time around Metafilter, for no other reason that I can tell than that he's a Big Famous Weblogger. He writes beautifully. Buy his stuff.
• Rob May is an old friend, who makes music increasingly funny and ass-kicking as the years go by. Go buy some of his CDs.
• Dong Resin is one funny bastard, and although I will never read his book because I loathe the subject so completely I am unable to enjoy even writing that pokes fun at her, you should buy it anyway.
• Miguel Esteves Cardoso is apparently one of Portugal's favorite authors. I don't read Portuguese, and have only had a couple of drubken weeks long ago trying to speak it, but if you do, you should buy his stuff, if you can find it. Even if you don't, why the hell not, eh?

So who have I forgotten in the local tribes? Drop a note in the comments if you think of someone, and I'll happily advertise for them, too! No charge, no commission, just the sweet sound of barn-raising!