If you want to have a voice in your industry but have a writing block or are a bit afraid to write a blog posting from scratch, then you might consider using Feedly.com to get you started. My friend, Ina Trantcheva, recently introduced me to this wonderful internet content aggregator.
Here is how I am using it.
Twice a day, I spend 15 minute scanning headlines. The first time is when I turn on my laptop in the morning (meeting schedule permitting). It’s like reading the morning paper and I suggest having a cappuccino to make the experience more enjoyable. I also do a scan right before I shut down for the day so I have something to think about during my afternoon commute.
When I find a promising headline, I click the “save for later” button. When I’ve reviewed all the headlines I click the “mark as read” button and all the non-saved content goes away. Then, whenever I need a coffee break I go to the “saved for later” section of Feedly and read through the saved articles. My coffee breaks are way more productive these days!
What kind of content do I “save for later”? Well, as the Social Media Lead for SAP’s Industry Cloud team I save content that I think will be interesting and engaging for our @SAPIndustries Twitter channel. To me this includes industry-specific trends, thought leadership, or news. I also enjoy reading articles on business strategy, business models and work-life balance. When I’ve read a particularly good article, I share it within a tweet or use it as a launching point for a blog posting (just remember to cite your sources).
Below are the sites I’ve bookmarked. Would you add any to the list? If you have any Feedly best practices, I hope you’ll share them or if you have any Feedly questions shoot them my direction (@MandyBayArea) and I’ll see if I can answer them. Happy reading!
Mandy’s Feedly list (as of October 2014):
