I’m a learning addict
I am always into some book, blog, educational video or podcast, I love learning about social media and entrepreneurship. Below is a list of some of my favorite websites, podcasts and apps:
TED Talks
A few years ago, I realized that I LOVE learning about technology, entertainment and design (hence, T.E.D). In short, the TED website features 800+ videos selected for their potential to inspire the world to “do better”. I originally found TED while browsing iTunes on my iPhone. I must have seen over 100+ talks on TED since then, and regularly use them as a reference when someone brings up a topic I know little about but have seen a TED Talk on the topic. You can find some of my favorite talks here.
I stay connected with TED through:
The website
The iTunes TED Podcast
The TED iPhone App
Through the TED Fan Page
And on Twitter @TedTalks
Mashable
Most social media consultants worthy of their title know what Mashable is (note: if your social media consultant doesn’t even know what Mashable is, ring the alarm). On Mashable you will find the latest news on social media. The founder of Mashable, Pete Cashmore, can also be found on CNN from time to time as the social media advisor.
I really enjoy reading Mashable. In fact, one of the reasons I started offering courses on social media was to give myself a reason to continue reading Mashable. Basically, I enjoyed learning about social media so much that I structured my job around learning more about it every day.
I stay connected with Mashable through:
The Mashable website
Through the Mashable Fan Page
And on Twitter @Mashable
Tim Ferriss
It took about two years of hearing my friends tell me “you work too much, you gotta read The 4 Hour Work Week, man” before I finally decided to give it a look. For some reason, I rejected the concept of only working 4 hours per week until, one day, via Twitter, I saw @tferriss was giving away The Four Hour Work Week audiobook for free. I listened to the book over the Christmas Holidays and entered the New Year with a whole new mindset, goals and vision. I honestly hate to brag but I have shared 4HWW with more friends than any other book.
I stay connected with Tim through:
The 4HWW Blog
His newsletter (subscribe via his website)
And on Twitter @tferriss
Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary was the first social media “guru” I was introduced to (via this video). @Garyvee, as he is referred to on Twitter has been an inspiration to many people in the social media community and has remained a thought leader for years. I appreciate Gary’s willingness to experiment with his marketing, although I sometimes disagree with some of his opinions and messages. Still, his good advice outweighs the pieces of advice I disagree with ;)
I stay connected with Gary though:
His video blog
His Viddler channel
And on Twitter @GaryVee
Chris Pirillo
I’m not really sure why I’m so addicted to Chris. Maybe it’s the repetitive ending to each and every video which I’ve somehow managed to memorize? Maybe it’s his geeky awkwardness? For those of you who don’t know who Chris is, just Google “Chris”, he somehow managed to get #1 for his first name on Google.
I stay connected with Chris through:
His blog
Through the Lockergnome YouTube channel
And on Twitter @ChrisPirillo
You can also find Chris live 24/7 at live.pirillo.com
Robert Scoble
Robert Scoble is a tech blogger known best for interviewing start-ups and getting exclusive interviews with Mark Zuckerburg. I discovered Robert through a blog post I read while learning how to use Twitter, see how to break rules on Twitter. When I re-read the post today I can see how influential it has been on my experimentations on Twitter.
I stay in touch with “Scobleizer” through:
The Scobleizer blog
Through the Robert Scoble Fan Page
And on Twitter @Scobleizer
Brian Solis
If you are looking for a detailed look at social media from the point of view of a thoughtful PR personality, then look for no other blog than Brian Solis’. His blog is definitely one of my favourites to read yet the most difficult to keep up with because of the long posts. Although I had heard his name many times I was first fully introduced to Brian Solis in Robert Scoble’s interview back in Nov 2009.
I stay connected with Brian through:
His PR blog
Through the Brian Solis Fan Page
And on Twitter @BrianSolis
Seth Godin
I had first head his name, then I heard him speak on TED but I had not read any of his books or visited his blog until one day when I saw “All Marketers Are Liars” when walking around a Chapters book store, picked it up, and got hooked. I read about half the book without a break. I highly recommend this read for anyone in marketing, advertising or branding. I also really like this video.
I stay connected with Seth through:
His blog
And on Twitter @ThisIsSethsBlog
Reading his books! ;)
The Lean Start Up
Eric Ries’ concept of “lean business” helped me understand my own business a lot more. If you do not know yet what it means to have a “LEAN start-up” I recommend two options: the 15 minute LEAN explanation or the more detailed 1 hour LEAN podcast.
I stay connected with Eric through:
The LEAN blog
And on Twitter @EricRies
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
Stanford’s Thought Leaders is a well-recorded and well-organized information podcast on the experiences of successful entrepreneurs who have ventured into the business world and came back to tell their stories.
What really got me about these lectures and the underlining message in every presentation is that every entrepreneur feels the need to work on something that will make a difference in the world. Here are a few quotes I noted down that really inspired me (I apologize, I forgot to write down the authors of the following quotes)
“Your work should make a difference. One way to make a difference is creating something that has a practical application in the world that’s positive. Another, is that it lays the foundations which the next generation of researchers can use to eventually make a positive difference.”
“Ideas are a dime a dozen and don’t matter. You have to have an idea that’s unique and to feel strongly about it and be willing to persevere almost any challenge to make it happen. [Pause] You need a long-run dream and a short-term plan”
I stay connected with with Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders through:
The Stanford Thought Leaders Podcast
And on the Stanford website
Recommended Reads:
Thomas Friedman - The World Is Flat
Tim Ferriss - The Four Hour Work Week
Carl Honoré - In Praise Of Slow
Neil Rackham - Spin Selling
Chet Holmes - The Ultimate Sales Machine
Seth Godin - All Marketers Are Liars
Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne - Blue Ocean Strategy
Clara Sith - The Facebook Era
Erik Qualman - Socialnomics
Gary Vaynerchuk - Crush It
Brian Halligan - Marketing Secrets of the Grateful Dead
Howard Schultz - Onward
Eric Ries - The Lean Startup
