Being viable in today’s competitive market is increasingly more complex as business practices continue to modernize and evolve. But much of what it takes to stay in the game still boils down to a basic business principle: being “in the know.” Staying informed and educated on what’s going on in your industry is a guaranteed way to help you stay at the cusp of innovative business practice, anticipate trends and be at the forefront of change.
But keeping up with what’s going on is much more difficult than picking up The New York Times business section every morning; the web has created a never-ending library of business information, discussion and analysis. So how do you rake through all the muck and find what’s going to help you without spending gobs of time online? Luckily, there are useful tools to point you in the right direction. Here are some of my favorites:
Google Alerts – A service offered through Gmail that notifies users by email, or as a feed, about the latest web, news, video, group and blog pages of the topics of their choice daily, weekly or as it happens. Google Alerts are a great, simple way to stay on top of what people are talking about and to get all the noteworthy news without reading every newspaper.
Google Reader – A service offered through Gmail that helps you keep up you’re your favorite sites by constantly checks the news sites and blogs of your choice for new content. Simply sign into your email and see what your favorite sources are talking about.
Profilactic – A social networking aggregator, this service consolidates all your social profiles into one and displays all the activity of your friends and groups across multiple social platforms.
Using these tools will ensure that you stay ahead of the trends and optimize your business potential for 2010!
Leave a comment and share your favorite tools with Technology Therapy Readers.
