The 10 Best Tech Blogs for Non-Techies

You'd like to become a little more Internet savvy? You'd like to be able to carry on a coherent discussion with the cute geek guy at the water cooler? There's so much information out there, it's difficult to find a tech blog that is on your level.

No one expects you to know everything. At least, they shouldn't. Because it's particularly impossible in the tech world. But if you have the time, here are the 10 Best Tech Blogs you can read to educate yourself, pick up a few tech words, and not get a brain cramp.

Note: This list is truly a list for the non-techie. But, don't expect to understand everything you read in these blogs. You won't. However, you will find some pretty interesting topics if you skim these blogs a few times a week. This is a list of blogs I read almost daily. The list includes some popular old faves in the tech blog world as well as some tech blogs you might have missed. And if you're totally new to tech blogs, you'll find something to like about each of these.

Here, in no particular order of greatness are my 10 suggestions for the 10 Best Tech Blogs for Non-Techies.

Best Tech Blog No. 1 - Internet Duct Tape

Everything from job search to xbox to gmail tips to blogging to more general topics that will ease you in to the tech talk can be found at Internet Duct Tape. Check out the "Most Popular Posts" under the navigation button and learn how to burn an MP3 CD with Folders, 7 Tips for Learning the Declutter Habit, or How to Post to Delicious and StumbleUpon at the same time. Scan for the topics that interest you the most, try out a few that point to products you've never heard of, and voila, you're learning already.

Best Tech Blog No. 2 - Lifehacker

Even as a non-techie, you've probably heard of Lifehacker.com. It is another great introduction to "generalized techiness" and may make life a little easier for you at the same time. Recent blog posts include a review of a product that creates ringtones for I-Phones, a search engine to find the perfect t-shirt from the online t-shirt vendors, and how to escape a hurricane in a car.

Best Tech Blog No. 3 - Tuaw.com, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Like all things Apple? For some reason, it always feels cooler to get the news from the Unofficial Source. Tuaw is pretty good unofficial Apple blog. It covers IPhones, ITunes, and Macs.

Note: Just in case you're looking, I didn't include an unofficial PC blog. Why? Because it's much easier to read about PC's anywhere. I use a PC and I still read about Apple's products. Doesn't almost everyone have an IPod or ITunes account? Case closed.

Best Tech Blog No. 4 - Techdirt, The Insight Company for the Information Age

Techdirt covers breaking technology news and provides a viewpoint or two that you might not have considered. For instance, a recent blog post discussed the case of Lori Drew and her "fake persona" on MySpace that resulted in the suicide of a teenage girl. As the writer at Techdirt points out, "it's not against the law to be a jerk on-line." An interesting take on a highly emotional case. You'll also find out that Michael Moore is releasing his lastest movie for free online and why. It's tech news and social commentary rolled into one.

Best Tech Blog No. 5 - Micro Persuasion

If you have an interest in marketing communications and are wondering how the Internet, Twitter, MySpace, etc. are changing the face of advertising, then you'll enjoy this blog. Steve Rubel, included on Forbes Magazine's WebCeleb 25 and the Director of Insights for the digital division of Edelman (the world's largest PR firm) is the author of Micro Persuasion.

Posting most often on digital marketing, Rubel points out how celebrities such as Tiger Woods respond to info that has been posted on YouTube and use it in a commercial. So, celebrities (or their handlers) really do listen? Hmmmmm.

Best Tech Blog No. 6 - Mashable

If you have time left over from MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Friendfeed, etc. and you like reading about social networking, then Mashable is the best tech blog for you. Did you know that CNN has jumped on the social media train in a big way and is promoting Twitter? You can read about it here.

Best Tech Blog No. 7 - Smashing Magazine

If you'd like to see all that's beautiful about the web, visit Smashing Magazine. Fonts, icons, tutorials, inspirational pieces abound. If you ever wondered about all the design elements that go into web design, you'll find all kinds of examples here. If all that information just makes your head spin, you can still download a beautiful desktop calendar - they post them every few weeks.

Best Tech Blog No. 8 - Common Craft Blog

If you're trying to get a grip on this stuff and you're truly a newbie, check out the video explanations at Common Craft. This is definitely one of the best tech blogs for the non-techie. Don't know what an RSS feed is? View the video. There are also videos on Google Reader and social bookmarking - just to name a few. Plus, their video examples are built with paper, pen, and scissors. Too cute.

Best Tech Blog No. 9 - The Blog Herald

If you like all things blog, check out The Blog Herald which touts itself as "the premium source of blog and blogging related news for bloggers." That's a lot of blog. Topics covered include WordPress plug-ins, how to blog under pressure, and blog monetization, just to name a few. Plus, the links you'll find from The Blog Herald will point you to all sorts of other very cool tech blogs.

Best Tech Blog No. 10 - Caroline Middlebrook, Making Money Online - Or Trying To!

Did you ever wonder if you could make money from blogging? Or did you think you were just too hopelessly average to do it? Well, Caroline Middlebrook sounds just a like a person you might meet at the coffee shop, health club, or grocery store. Only she is trying to make a living online. And she's not doing that badly at it. She's only been working at it for a year or two, so reading about her progress is very interesting.

Plus, Caroline has two or three free e-books on her site that are very useful if you are thinking of trying this on your own. She also points her readers to the sites she's found most helpful.

The best way to enjoy this tech blog is to take some time and read about Caroline's journey from the beginning day of her blog. Reading Caroline's successes and frustrations (personally and professionally) puts everything in perspective.

Caroline's blog is nothing like Darren Rowse's blog (Problogger.com) and that's exactly what makes it one of the best tech blogs. Getting sound advice while watching someone build a business from the ground up is not information you find every day on the Internet.