This is probably the most important post I have written in quite sometime; it does something which I think is of paramount importance for any blogger — it’s a thank you for all of those people who make my community what it is. All of these blogs are my inspiration, and all of these bloggers are the reason that I write. The writers I am highlighting below are true Web 2.0 Tastemakers.

Top In Tech Award

Mike Arrington

Went to Mr. Micheal Arrington of TechCrunch, see the detailed article here.

The Anti-Geek Award

Away With Words

Despite what you might think, I do read some blogs that have absolutely nothing to do with technology. Nancy’s blog is one of them, and I dare say it has consistently been the best. Nancy’s blog, Away With Words, is a entertaining and often humorous romp through the world of words.

Nancy is a wordsmith and copywriter with a tone and style that you can’t get enough of. Whether you want to learn how to pick a slogan, rid your life of jargon or pick up a few new words then you should take a look at this fantastic blog.

Honestly, I don’t do Nancy justice — to get a real feel for what she has to offer, you should take a look at a couple of my favorite posts.

The Mystery Of Naming

New Name Beat

Prolific Blogger Award

What can I say about Lord Matt? He has been with the community since the beginning and he has always been the first to throw up a link or a review for one of my articles. That’s not what makes him a Tastemaker, however. Lord Matt is also talented and versatile blogger, with enough bandwidth to run more blogs than you can shake a SQL table at.

Here are a few things that I have come across from Lord Matt that will show you some of his talents.

Cult of The Dot Com

I occasionally review generators, and this one is rather slick. Enter a few details about the domain that you are trying to generate, and hit the button. Not only will this generate a list of related domain names, but it will generate this list only among domains that are still available for purchase. It’s an addictive bit of code, and worth a look even if you aren’t actively looking for that perfect domain.

More Turf

A new domain by Lord Matt where he attempts to turn 1 pence into a million pounds in 32 steps. Exactly how Matt will pull this off, I have no idea, but the journey should be interesting to see.

Take a look at Matt’s blogs, and if you are on MyBlogLog send him a message. A nicer blogger, I’ve never met.

Top Community Member

I have a soft spot in my heart for celebrity gossip, and a softer spot for Layercake, and that is not only because Heidi is probably reading this right now. The Top Community award goes to the person who not only comments often, but writes comments that are compelling in and of themselves.

Heidi has also climbed to the rank of Tastemaker because her blog is one of the more entertaining blogs I’ve run across. I get hints of Valleywag channeling the spirit of Good Morning Silicon Valley with a unique feel that makes Layercake just a blast to read.

Whether it’s the latest Lindsey Lohan faux pas or a simple movie review — Layercake does it with style and pinache.

Top A-List Contributor

Former Tech TV star and full-time Lockergnome Chris Pirillo has absolutely no reason to visit my blog, but he does on occasion and I think that is the sign of a real community builder. When you have thousands of people vying for your attention on any given day, and you are still able to give a little personal time those outside of the A-List that’s really impressive.

For those of you who aren’t sure who Chris is, I’ll let Wikipedia give you a taste –

Pirillo is passionate about blogging, RSS, and Google AdSense. His personal website is often ranked number one under the search term “Chris” on Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. He is friends with several influential members in the blogging and podcasting communities such as Dave Winer, Adam Curry and Robert Scoble.

Digg This Awards

Digg

Not everyone can be a Tastemaker this season, especially if I haven’t had an opportunity to get a real taste of your blog. However, I have to take a moment to thank those of you who have gone out of your way to help How To Split An Atom, whether that was leaving comments, reading an article for me, or submitting my content to social bookmarking sites. All of you have in some way contributed to this community and deserve to be recognized.

Sellsius

Real estate information told in an entertaining way. Well written, filled with information and an overall good read.

PopURLs

In my productivity article I said that you should do your best to limit your information intake. PopURLs will give you everything from the top YouTube videos to the front page of Digg all in one place. Check it out.

Tech-Hack-Gadget

Tips, tricks, hacks and everything in between.

openSermo

A well written, interesting video log about the world, politics and all sorts of other non-techie stuff.

Musings From The Moo Moo Blog

A very new but very friendly blogger, watch his blog grow.

Honorable Mentions

Kenxu

Dustin Bachrach Blog

Nicharalambous

WebMeba

Bare