There’s been much discussion lately around ways to follow and keep up with friends and the latest news in the tech world. There are plenty of new startups looking to make life easier; many have merit, but here’s a few tips to help you know what’s going on.
A Good FeedReader
Many consider that understanding and subscribing to feeds is a given, but the reality is that terms like RSS, Atom, and even Feeds are foreign to most people. The starting point is always a good feedreader. My personal choice is Google Reader, but I was a Bloglines fan for many years and they’ve been implementing a lot of extra features, so ultimately pick between the two. Once you’ve picked a FeedReader you should naturally subscribe to TechCrunch here. One source is never enough, so subscribe to ReadWriteWeb, GigaOm and VentureBeat as well.
A Start Page
After TechCrunch naturally, I start my mornings on TechMeme. Gabe Rivera’s site is a favorite and, despite some criticism elsewhere, continues to accurately track the big stories in the tech blogosphere, and that includes general tech away from the stuff we cover on TechCrunch.
Twitter
Twitter I’m told is still an acquired taste, but I’m finding more and more that I pick up breaking stories first on Twitter. Twitter is only as good as the network you link in to; so it can be a bit hard (or barren) at first. The key is to give it time, and add friends.
Overall
If you want a full picture of our industry and space there are existing tools that allow you to do it well, complete with interaction. There’s a lot of noise out there, at times too much noise, but the tools listed can help you keep on top of it.
CrunchBase Information
TechMeme
Bloglines
Google Reader
Twitter
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