Well it's that time of year... time for a "Best Of" list! So many free guides, so little time to cull through them for the best.

Here's my quick pick of the most informative on this year's hot topics: blogging, RSS and podcasting. Plus the most notable stat of 2005 and of course the best new blog.

AND let's not forget email. Oh, and white papers themselves. They're both still in play as powerful marketing and communications tools for companies large and small.

Blogging

To Blog Or Not To Blog by The Content Factory [download page]

RSS

The Business Case for RSS by Rok Hrastnik [PDF]

Podcasting

Beginner's Guide to Podcast Creation [Article]

Email

DoubleClick's 6th Annual Consumer Email Study [PDF - just released Dec. 2005)

EmailLabs Best Practices Quick Tips and Guide [Download page]

White Papers

2005 White Paper Writer Industry Survey [Download page - free until Dec. 31, 2005]

Best new blog

This one was easy! Scott Adams' Dilbert Blog


Most notable stat of 2005

Pew's Report on Teen-Age Content Creators [Download page]

Still not sure whether your customers are hanging out in the blogosphere? They will be soon. 57% of teen-agers who use the Internet have created a blog, uploaded photos, audio or video or re-mixed online content to create new stuff.

Holiday Sale! 50% off all digital downloads in the WordBiz Store

In the mood for some holiday shopping? OK, it's for yourself. Nothing wrong with that. Head over to the WordBiz Store where every PDF (digital download) is 50% off.

Start here to be sure you get your discount. You'll see it on the Check Out page (scroll down).

I recommend:

E-newsletter Starter Kit (149-page PDF) $97 $48.50
A ton of useful information including screenshots and examples. Easy to navigate with a clickable table of contents. Remember, email isn't dead!

Make Your E-newsletter Sell $29 $14.50
Best articles from WordBiz Report on how to make your ezine or e-newsletter sell more effectively.

Top 10 Tips to Launch an E-newsletter $9 $4.50
An oldie but goodie.

ROI of Business Blogging (131-page PDF) $97 $48.50
Lots of screenshots; a comprehensive beginner's guide.

Santa is only offering this mad holiday sale until midnight Dec. 31, 2005. So if you've thought about buying one of these informative guides before, now is your chance! Start here