In addition to being a Fox News contributor and hosting “The Alan Colmes Show” on FOX News Radio weeknights from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. EST, Alan Colmes covers the latest newsworthy political issues on his blog, Liberaland. You can also keep up with him on Facebook and Twitter!

Liberaland's Alan Colmes

Q:  When and why did you start blogging?

A: I began blogging on a lark during Thanksgiving weekend three years ago. I had a free day and thought it might be a way to spend an afternoon. I never thought it would evolve the way it did.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst political blogs?

A: Hard to describe a flavor, but we work to aggregate some of the best stories on the web. Our goal is to be quick, timely, and engaging, not full of long, dull political commentary. I like to think if you come to us, we’ll give you some of the most important and best liberal stories and content at any moment, then we’ll send you on your way.

Q: What do your family and friends think of your blogging?

A: Thankfully, my family and friends have accepted that I have an obsessive personality, and I’m always all-in. They tolerate it, and me. (more…)

Alexandra Stafford is the blogger and chef behind Alexandra Cooks.  In addition to sharing her delicious recipes, Stafford draws in food lovers with captivating photography of her creations in different stages of the cooking process.  Work up an appetite on her site, and then go join her on Facebook and Twitter!

Alexandra Stafford of Alexandra Cooks

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started blogging in 2006 when I started working as the food editor for a small Philadelphia newspaper. I wanted to keep track of all of the food I was discovering in the city as well as at home, and blogging seemed like a good way to chronicle everything.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other food blogs?

A: Gosh, I don’t know. For awhile, I was very focused on the local-food movement and shopping only at farmers’ markets and buying only humanely raised meats and dairy products. Now, I’m still focused on supporting the local-food movement, but care most about featuring in-season ingredients. There are so many good food blogs out there, and I can’t really pinpoint how mine stands out — perhaps too many photographs ?

Q: What does your family think of your blogging?

A: My family, my mother in particular, are my biggest fans. They all subscribe to the email feed and couldn’t be more positive/encouraging/enthusiastic about every post. When they don’t receive an email for a few days, I get emails asking, “What’s going on?!”

Q: Where/how did you learn to cook?

A: My mother taught me to cook. I grew up eating homemade everything. My mother considers all things bottled — salad dressings in particular — repulsive. I learned to make homemade bread in elementary school. I was spoiled for sure. After college, I worked at a catering company outside of Philadelphia — Peach Tree and Ward — which was a blast, and then at a restaurant — Fork — in Old City Philadelphia. That’s where more than anything I became a more efficient cook. I loved my time in a professional kitchen but it wasn’t something I could do forever. I have such respect for kitchen workers — tough work, long hours.

Q: How much time daily do you spend blogging?

A: I probably spend about three to six hours a week blogging? I’ve never kept track. That’s terrible. I don’t blog every day, and I suppose every week is different. Some recipes take longer than others. Sometimes I take a million process shots, and editing those shots is time consuming. But between cooking, photographing, writing, and responding to readers, I would say six hours a week is about right.

Q: What blogs do you read?

A: So many! My favorite food site right now is food52.com. And I love my daily Canal House Cooks Lunch email.

Q: How much do you correspond one-on-one with readers?

A: At the very least, I try to respond to every comment that is a question. When I share the same enthusiasm for a comment, I often respond as well. When readers email me, I always respond.

Q: What joys did you not expect when you started blogging?  What pains?

A: I did not expect to receive so many emails from readers who share my enthusiasm for certain foods or recipes. It brings me such joy to read an email from someone who has had success with a recipe and who has brought joy to his/her family or friends or significant other or just for his/herself in the process. Nothing makes me happier, truly. The pains I have experienced are pretty trivial overall. Sometimes I feel torn between blogging and the other priorities in my life, and sometimes I feel stressed when I can’t find the time to blog during the week. I’ve learned, however, that when I start feeling this way, I just have to step back and keep perspective. Readers likely aren’t as concerned about not seeing a current alexandra’s kitchen post as I am.

Q: What’s something your readers don’t know about you?

A: Hmmm. I just had a baby… haven’t gotten around to blogging about it yet, so I suppose few readers know that. What else? My husband is an officer in the Marine Corps. I didn’t grow up in a military family, so moving around the country and enduring deployments was new to me. It sounds silly, but having a blog helped me so much during deployments. I spent time in the evening writing, photographing, editing, posting — not worrying/thinking about my husband. More than anything, life in the military has taught me to cherish our moments as a family together.

Q: What are some of your favorite recipes that you’ve featured on Alexandra Cooks?

A: I have so many, but here are a few of my favorites:

Homemade Pizza

Fresh Corn Polenta

Easiest/Best Ribs

Homemade Granola

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Buttermilk Scones

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

All-Time Favorite Brownies

Orange and Olive Oil Cake

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Baked Overnight French Toast

Chez Panisse Eggplant, Caramelized Onion, and Tomato Pasta

Reading Teen blogger Andye is a true lover of reading and the Young Adult genre. Andye is accompanied by a handful of other contributors, all varying in age, to review books for teens and parents looking for the best YA recommendations. Make sure to check out their site for great giveaways in addition to finding your next page-turner!

Reading Teen Blogger Andye

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started blogging in February of 2010.  I began blogging to reach people about the Web site I had started (Parentalbookreviews.com).  I had been reading Young Adult books for awhile, and parents were always asking, “Is this book suitable for my child?”  I saw a need to provide information, and a blog was the best way to spread the word.  Since then, it’s grown into something much more than just a content site.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other book blogs?

A: Firstly, we provide a service that has been very useful for parents, teens and surprisingly many other bloggers who ask us to read certain books so they can decide if it is suitable for them/their child.  Secondly, there are six of us, all at different ages, blogging together, so we reach a wide audience.  We have a 50-year-old grandmother, two 30-somethings moms, two teen girls and a teen boy who each have a specific day that we write.  We also do a lot of audiobook reviews, which seems to be another things we’ve become known for. (more…)

Ana Grilo and Thea James, the partners in crime running The Book Smugglers, share reviews and recommendations for fictional and Young Adult novels. Their passion for reading is proven by the sheer volume of books they’re able to read and write about. Stay up to date with their latest reviews by checking out their blog, Facebook and Twitter pages!

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

Ana: I discovered the world of blogging toward the end of 2007 when I started to look for reviews online and fell in love with the idea of writing reviews as a means to keep tabs on what I was reading. That was really the impetus behind setting up the blog. At that time, I was a member of an online forum for “Fans of Lost” (the TV show), and that’s where I met Thea whom I used to talk about books with. In one of our chats, I brought up the idea of starting a book blog and invited her to join me and she said yes – the rest, as they say, is history.

Thea: Yup. Ana and I are huge nerds when it comes to pop culture and books, so when Ana propositioned me with the opportunity to start a book blog with her I was thrilled. Of course, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that an innocuous little book reading hobby could turn into something that is now such a huge part of my life!

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other book blogs?

A & T: This is a really tough question to answer because there are so many outstanding book blogs out there! If there is one thing we do pride ourselves on, though, it would have to be our brutally honest and in-depth reviews.

Q: What does your family think of your blogging?

A: Well, my family is from Brazil and they don’t speak a lot of English, nor do they like to read (shocking!) so they don’t actually read the blog per se. However, I do tell them about it and about all of the cool stuff that has happened since Thea and I have started blogging and they are very proud of our accomplishments.

T: My significant other is also a non-reader, so he was actually quite peeved when The Book Smugglers began to take off – not because he was angry at the success of the blog (he’s very supportive in that regard!), but because the sheer volume of books increased exponentially and in direct proportion to the more followers we gained! As for the rest of my family, my youngest sister (a tween) absolutely loves the blog and often gets recommendations – and hand-me-down books – from it, which is pretty awesome. (more…)

Blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum provides unique insights in the overlap of science with other parts of our lives.  Her blog, Culture of Science, connects wide-reaching science issues to seemingly unrelated topics for her readers. Join her in connecting the dots on Twitter and Facebook!

Culture of Science Blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

Fit Bottomed Girls is a one-stop shop for getting healthy.  Bloggers Jenn Walters and Erin Whitehead cover topics including  motivation, nutrition, exercise, fitness equipment/accessories and even workout playlist recommendations! They’re the fun, friendly fit experts we’ve always wanted and now can have thanks to their site! In addition to their blog, keep up with their fitness news on Facebook and Twitter.

Fit Bottomed Girls Founders Jenn Walters and Erin Whitehead

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: Erin Whitehead and I created Fit Bottomed Girls almost three and a half years ago, when we set out to help women realize that working out could actually be fun — and make your life totally awesome. We love to blog about fitness, obviously, but also a lot about body image, nutrition and really anything that we think will improve our readers’ lives. From creating workout music playlists to reviewing workout DVDs and fitness products to sharing healthy recipes, we like to get readers motivated to be healthy in any way we can. A little more than a year ago, we launched www.FitBottomedMamas.com to bring that same message to motherhood.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other health blogs?

A: There are a lot of fabulous blogs out there. We think ours stands out at first because of its name (gotta love Queen references!), but then it hooks people in because it’s objective, honest, down-to-earth and real. We tell it like it is with any review we do, and we are quite public about our own struggles and triumphs with working out and eating healthy. With some humor, sass and a conversational tone, we’ve heard readers say that reading Fit Bottomed Girls is like talking to their funny best friend who knows a thing or two about fitness. Best compliment, ever. (more…)

Geek in Heels is a blog that highlights blogger Jenny Hwang’s interests ranging from gadgets to motherhood. The site reflects her diverse interests, which means she’s always posting new and interesting content. Make sure to also keep up with Hwang on Facebook and Twitter

Blogger Jenny Hwang of Geek in Heels

screengrab via iRewind user "Valley"

Did you catch the JCPenney commercial with the bikini-clad teenager? It had been blogged about here and there a few months ago, but Copyranter’s coverage seems to have open the gate to the recent flood of opinions. And boy did the opinions flow. So much so that JCPenney has apparently pulled the ad.

Behold, the power of the blogosphere! (more…)

Jessica Colaluca is a true lover of colors. On her blog, Design-Seeds.com, Jessica sees the inspirational details in photography.  Along with posting photos with a great use of color, Jessica offers her fans the color palette swatches that make up the dynamic photos.  Design Seeds is the perfect breeding ground for cultivating design creativity!

Blogger Jessica Colaluca of Design Seeds

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started blogging in May 2009…Design Seeds is my first blog and a complete passion project.

Q: How do you think your blog stands out amongst other design blogs?

A: Design Seeds are for any sort of creative inspiration…I have received feedback on the many ways people are inspired by Design Seeds beyond design. One of the most powerful comments I received was from a reader who said they were moved by color in the same way many are moved by music.  Those sorts of comments and emails are humbling, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my approach to color and inspiration.

The goal of Design Seeds has always been to provide original content, which is also another way the Design Seeds blog is set apart from many other design blogs.

Q: What do your family and friends think of your blogging?

A: Although friends and family know I blog, the concept of Design Seeds is a bit abstract and not something I am defined by with those most close to me. Although it is my passion project and what I am most driven by, I don’t talk about it that often with friends. My family & friends know me for owning the design consultancy, and we don’t discuss my blogging generally. (more…)

Blogger Scott Esposito publishes quarterly essays and book reviews for his online magazine, The Quarterly Conversation, in addition to posting reviews and interviews of authors and publishers on his literary blog, Conversational Reading. Esposito’s 25th issue for Fall 2011 is now available on The Quarterly Conversation, so make sure to check it out in addition to keeping up with his news on Facebook and Twitter!

Blogger Scott Esposito of The Quarterly Conversation and Conversation Reading

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: I started my personal blog, Conversational Reading, in 2004 and The Quarterly Conversation in 2005. In both cases the reason was the same: I didn’t see a whole lot of places to do the kind of writing about literature that I wanted to do–in-depth writing about great books, but not in an academic sense at all. I started these sites to share my writing, meet other like-minded people, and encourage people to read great literature. I think it’s worked out on all 3 counts.

A: I think The Quarterly Conversation stands out for the kinds of books we tend to cover–we do a lot of translations because that’s where a lot of the most interesting literature is happening these days. We also go very in-depth, with our reviews averaging around 1500 words and our essays 3,000 to 4,000. Everything on TQC is closely read and edited, and I think it shows in the quality of the material we present. We’re definitely not one of those sites that will throw whatever up online in hopes of generating pageviews through quantity. We believe we’ll get plenty of traffic—and better traffic—through quality.

A: I don’t really know. I think they think it’s cute, but they probably don’t really think about it beyond that. They probably have some idea that my sites are cool to certain people, but the things that my sites cover aren’t really my family’s thing. (more…)