Top 10 Blogs for Web Developers

Being a web developer is hard these days. From Flex to Silverlight and ASP to PHP, the choices of technology are almost endless, and a good developer needs to stay on top of all of it. Here's a list of my personal favorite blogs related to web design and implementation that might help keep you on the top of things.

Before we get started, let me state that I haven't come across every blog in the universe, so if you find one that deserves to be on the list, just paste a link in the comments so we can all check it out. Also, I exist mainly in the design side of web development, so the resources here are mostly related to client side technologies (Javascript, Flex, Silverlight, etc).

1. Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine is one of the best places online to find design resources and inspiration. They're posts definitely lean towards the design side of web development, but every once and a while they post some great programming resources. If you're a designer, make sure to read this blog.

2. Ajaxian

If there was one word that could sum up Ajaxian, it would be Javascript. Given their name, I guess it makes sense though. Any news about a Javascript library like Dojo or JQuery will be found on this blog. They post somewhere between 5 and 10 articles a day, and it's a necessity for any serious Javascript developer.

3. ReadWriteWeb

If something happens in the internet world, you can almost be sure it will show up on ReadWriteWeb. If you're in the business of making websites, this is a blog you should be reading. It's ranked highly on pretty much every list there is, which include PC World's Top 100 and Technorati's Top 20.

4. Scott Gu's Blog

Scott Guthrie publishes some of the best and most in-depth .NET related tutorials found anywhere on the web. His blog is currently one of the best places to find resources related to the new Silverlight 2 beta. This is also where you want to keep an eye out for any developer related Microsoft announcements.

5. Flex Examples

Flex is taking the RIA world by storm. The framework is great, but sometimes it's hard to bend it in the direction you want it to go. Flex Examples helps solve this by providing tons of small tutorials aimed at specific problems. If you're a Flex developer, this blog is a must read.

6. A List Apart

ALA publishes stories a little differently than your typical blog. Much like a magazine, they post 'Issues', each containing a few articles. The posts can cover a wide range of topics including design, programming tutorials, and commentary. Each one is well thought out, well written, and very informative.

7. Vitamin

This blog posts a lot of "how-to" tutorials covering the design and implementation of websites. Each tutorial is very in-depth and well-written. They even won the 2007 SXSW Award for Best Education Resource.

8. Six Revisions

Six Revisions reminds me a lot of Smashing Magazine (or is it the other way around?). Most of their posts are targeted towards web designers and are usually a list of useful resources or tips. They post a new article every day or two, and it's a required bookmark for any web designer.

9. Colour Lovers Blog

Colour Lovers is built around an entire community of people dedicated to finding inspiration in everything. The choice of color scheme is one of the most important aspects of a good web site design, and this blog is always posting inspirational color palettes and design ideas.

10. Agile Ajax

Javascript and AJAX are all the rage right now in web development. Agile Ajax posts tutorials and snippets that are a great resource for any Javascript developer. Aside from tutorials, they also post commentary and book reviews. Definitely a good resource if you are, or are thinking about becoming, a Javascript programmer.

I hope you've enjoyed the list, and more importantly, I hope you've learned something. Most of these blogs are well known, but I might have introduced you to a few new ones. And again, if I missed something, please let us know in the comments.