Friday, November 19, 2010

Have I Got News for You!


News on social media is pervasive. Buzz begets buzz, and sometimes the noise can be deafening.  Fortunately there are several good sources for news on social media which not only bring some order to this rapidly evolving world, but do so with entertaining reportage and sometimes even a smidgen of hipness.  Today I’ll highlight two of them: Mashable and ReadWriteWeb.

If significant things are happening in social media, these two blogs will report on them. ReadWriteWeb has been doing so since 2003, which, in the context of social media, was practically Paleolithic; and Mashable got its start in 2007, which roughly equates to the Bronze Age.  Their coverage is wide-ranging and includes the latest twist on Facebook’s dance with privacy issues; what is trending on Twitter; which handheld device is all the rage; and how not-for-profit organizations are leveraging the new tools to improve the world we live in.

ReadWriteWeb is arguably more corporate in its approach, and Mashable is more edgy.  Both, however, are worth exploring to see if they match your interests and temperament.  And lots of folks read them indeed.  According to Technorati, which reports on the blogosphere, Mashable and ReadWriteWeb are consistently ranked in the top ten for all technology blogs.

I tend to read most of my news on a mobile device these days. Mashable has apps for both Android- and Apple-powered handhelds.  Even though ReadWriteWeb doesn’t have a mobile app (yet), it does have a web site optimized for these devices: http://m.readwriteweb.com. 

Excuse me while I catch up on some news.  And feel free to leave a comment on what your sources are for news on social media.

Mark Hammer

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