I can’t tell you what sources I read, that’s not how it works
One of the secrets to being a professional blogger (aka Content Marketer 1.0, or maybe beta version) is to read a lot of sources. Those of us who started out like this curated and shared our list of feeds like gardeners tending prize-winning tomatoes. While I don’t obsessively refresh Feedly on the hour (right now my info needs don’t need that kind of firepower), I do try to keep up with the things that interest me.
So when I’m asked: “What sites and publications do you read?” can’t list off a bunch from memory, because that’s not how the pros do it. I get my news from Medium (naturally), Refind, LinkedIn, Facebook, and a few email digests. I don’t think in terms of “oh I have to check to see what’s on Hubspot or Moz or Wired…” the stuff that I’m interested in comes directly to me.
The hidden secret that is RSS and curated sources
RSS was literally invented to save people time and from them needing to visit site after site looking for new content. Let computers bring the freakin’ information to you, don’t waste your time seeking it out. Now the trick is making sure you leave room for discovery. If you don’t allow serendipity to work its magic, then the coolest inspirational stuff will wisp by you in the night.
I use Medium and Refind to help with discovery and it’s not perfect, I know. I follow a lot of interesting people on both platforms, but it’s still a bubble of like-minded people. Which is generally okay since I like their minds and want to know where their minds are at.
Yes, this statement directly opposed to the title. I still curate diverse voices. I make sure I read people who have marketing ideas contrary to mine. I like to hear those ideas, it keeps me on my toes and always asking myself “is this really the best way to solve the problem?” If I haven’t read other opinions I can’t say that it is or isn’t.
It’s not the sources, but reading that matters
I hope the interviewers who have asked me this question are really asking to make sure I keep up with the industry. It should be a given that a professional keeps up with their industry. That you read a few articles as day and pick up a couple new books a month to dip into. I guess it isn’t, which is probably why they ask.
Which says a lot about how our tech community has evolved. Maybe as we stopped trying to gather feeds from more and more sources (and there were bragging rights to having the best and largest collection?—?Marshall Kirkpatrick still reigns supreme here), we stopped hearing each other. Maybe we stopped learning as much as fast.
Maybe we should all be asking ourselves:
Where do you get your insights from? Who’s on your reading list?
And if you’d like to read some of what I’m reading, here’s a copy of my Feedly feeds and you can always follow me here, on Refind, or LinkedIn.
Now if you’ll excuse me I have to finish a couple articles I was reading earlier.
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