Two facts: we have to try and keep up with all the changes in IT, and we don’t have much time, if any, to do so. What can you do? Here are some ideas. They’ve been working well for me. Hopefully they will for you as well.
Blogs
Bloggers are out there in the trenches: finding information, presenting information about trends, explaining things and providing tips on various subjects. It’s always worth your time to review blogs. A good resource to find them is:
In fact, there’s probably an Alltop page for any topic you’d like to view. Just select your topic of choice and go from there. I’ve included some for different topics in my lists of links on this blog.
You can also make a customized myAlltop page and put your favorite blogs all in one place.
Also, check Ivan Walsh’s list of tech writing blogs. He also includes international writing considerations, so that’s something not to miss.
All hail Twitter! I can’t survive without it. I use it for work, primarily. I prefer to follow feeds that are packed with information and links to articles, or those that pass on information. It’s great to follow people that focus on a particular topic; their expertise comes through, as they have reviewed materials and chosen what they think matters most. So, I see it as expert advice delivered daily to my door. It saves so much time; I needn’t search high and low for information. An expert has done that already. All I need to do is review what they’ve posted. And boy, have they ever posted excellent information.
Twitter is my starting point for the day. It’s my morning paper, so to speak, and is a great way to jumpstart the synapses each morning. I enjoy perusing the articles and information that is posted.
eServer Technical Communication Library
Hello! This is a HUGE database packed with timely, thought-provoking articles. It is updated regularly. It’s a must-visit resource. I’ve signed up for their RSS feed , and try to check it each day, if possible. If unable to, I check it whenever I can. Sign up for the feed. Go there, go there, go there – and go there regularly.
There are a number of writing and other IT groups you can sign up for. Actually, there’s probably a group for just about any topic you can think of. I’ve got some listed on my profile, but there are plenty of others out there. Join some groups, follow the discussions, and perhaps chime in once in a while. You can set it so you get daily or weekly digests of discussions sent directly to your e-mail address.
Websites
Surely you’ll find websites you’ll want to peruse from time to time for information. Mashable is one that comes to mind offhand. It’s an excellent resource. Also, the W3C site is a good site to review periodically. No doubt, there are sites that one should visit periodically, at least. Plenty to see out there on the Internet, is there not?
Mailing Lists
Of course, there are always good ‘ol mailing lists. No explanation required, I believe.
RSS Feeds
This is, of course, another way to follow your favorite blogs and other items. It’s nice to have these in your back pocket.
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That’s all I can think of at the moment. However, as you can see, there are ways to quickly review quite a bit of information for many topics. Happy reading!