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How To Stay On Top of Digital News Without Going Crazy
posted by: Rebecca Derdoski - 12.27.2011Prevent info overload (pictured above) by organizing your inbox with Google Reader. Then, sort your subscriptions by priority.
In the digital landscape change is constant. New products, services and processes emerge on what seems like a daily basis. It can be a challenge to stay up-to-date on the latest news. (In fact, it can make you crazy.) But in this industry, it can be equally detrimental to fall behind in the current news and trends.
As Internet marketers we are very familiar with the relationship between the enormous web and information overload. However, it’s still our job to not only stay informed, but to strive to be ahead of the curve in the search industry. Managing and sorting through the information in the most productive way is important.
I’ll walk you through my own process and then share some of my favorite go-to industry resources. Feel free to add suggestions in the comments or to take my process and make it your own!
Use Google Reader
When I first started out in SEO I was amazed at how open the community was about sharing information and tips – it was a gold mine! Naturally I began subscribing to the best sites I came across to ensure I wouldn’t miss a beat. Before I knew it, my inbox was out of control and I was having a hard time organizing the data coming in. That’s where using a feed reader comes in handy, I use Google Reader but there are other options available.
Using Google Reader has allowed me to stay up-to-date on my online reading and allowed me to do so from computer to computer. Using a reader is similar to reading a newspaper -- you are able to scan through many different headlines similar to the way you would scan a newspaper. Another nice thing about this is that you will pick up on any topics that are being frequently discussed. You are able to pick up on what people are talking about right now.
Time Management and Organization
Lastly, two other factors are important in creating a strategy for staying up-to-date in digital news -- time management and organization. Different techniques will be better for different people but in general it is a good idea to be aware of the time you spend reading blog posts and industry news each day / week. You want to find a balance between productivity and learning and wasting time and not accomplishing anything.
I sort my reader subscriptions by category, sub-category, and importance. For instance, I consider some blogs a high priority or ‘must reads’ because of how often their content is updated and the consistency of their quality of information. The ones I like and also provide great information, yet are updated less frequently, will go in a different category. Organizing and managing your subscriptions by topic and / or by priority is useful for maintaining productivity levels. I also like to create a new folder for articles that I find particularly helpful and create sub folders by the topic the post covers so that I can refer back to them easily when the time comes.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful for ways to stay up-to-date with digital news, I’d love to hear how you stay current with industry news, feel free to share your process below.
As promised I’ve listed the blogs that I read on a regular basis below. Enjoy!
Ian Lurie is a great writer; I always enjoy reading his posts. He covers everything from SEO basics to strategies for how to succeed as an online marketer. Always a good read.
SEOmoz is a great resource and covers a wide range of topics. It is definitely worth subscribing to.
Great resource for all things content marketing, copywriting and more.
A collection of the latest industry news.
A collection of the latest industry news and other tools.
Great resources and articles for all things SEO/SEM.
This is a great site for finding good resources on the web related to SEO.
The master of all things related to web analytics.
A trusted resource for information about the search industry.
This is an interesting blog. It covers patent law and the more technical side of the search engines and does a great job doing it.
Are there other ways that help you stay organized and informed? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @iexposure.
Image by ssoosay and licensed through Creative Commons.
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