Technology

Discovering and Sharing Amazing Online Content Like a Pro

Great content deserves to be read and shared. The problem is, it can be difficult to find and cumbersome to pass along.

Often our processes slow us down and keep us from sharing what the world needs to see and read.

Here’s how to find and curate some of the most interesting links on the web, no matter what your interests are.

magnifiying-glass

1. Twitter

This is where it all begins for me. Twitter is, bar-none, the best tool for discovering great content. Facebook is good for discovering who is having a bad day or who just got engaged, but as far as brain-stimulation, going to Facebook rather than Twitter to learn something is like going a circus instead of reading a book.

Here’s how I curated my list of great people to follow on Twitter. I follow very sparingly, and I even have a more select, private list of people who share the best content, all the time.

If you don’t know any thought leaders in the area you’re interested in, check out Twitter’s suggested list of people to follow and work from there.

You can also link your email account to Twitter to find people who interact with on the web. Don’t assume that everyone you know is a good sharer on Twitter, but hopefully some sharp people you know are using the tool well.

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Theology

How to Stop Comparing Everyone’s Highlight Reels With Your Life

“We struggle with insecurity because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” – Steven Furtick

Social media has given us a window to compare ourselves to everyone we know (and so many we don’t) like never before.

Someone has a cuter baby than us. A bigger house. A nicer car. A better job. A more exciting life. And we aren’t only aware of it when we interact with them, it’s in our face every time we login to Facebook or see someone’s filet mignon on Instagram.

We are prone to compare because we have constant access to people to compare ourselves to.

highlight reel

Comparison robs us of all joy. It says, “What I have isn’t enough.” It’s a lie, a snare, a trap. It’s one I fall into incredibly often, and I’m a comparer by nature. It’s a nasty sin I’m trying (by the grace of God) to root out.

It creates an awful cycle of pride and despair as we say, “At least I’m not like him,” and “If only I could be like her.” It’s a destructive rhythm that will never fulfill us and can only eat away at our hearts like battery acid.

The only two people we should compare ourselves to are Jesus and our past selves. Jesus humbles us and our past selves serve to encourage us. Continue reading

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Methodology

11 Ways You Can Instantly Destroy Boredom Into a Million Pieces

I haven’t been bored since 2007. That was my freshman year of college when I thought taking 12 credit hours was exhausting and I took three naps each afternoon.

I’ve fallen in love with learning over the last few years. I always have something new on my radar to learn. Coding. A new language. A skill to refine. Learning prevents me from accruing multi-nap days and it helps make my life matter.

Below, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite ways to destroy boredom.

destroy-boredom

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Technology

14 Tips to Avoid Making Common Twitter Mistakes

Everyone has their own idea of the the best way to use Twitter. I’ve been using it for over three years, and I’ve applied what I’ve learned to aggregate the 14 tips below.

You don’t need to follow all of these tips, but if you want to gain followers, be helpful, and use this tool for maximum impact, I highly suggest taking this advice to heart. There’s no condemnation if you decide to eschew the rules of Twitter engagement below, but consider yourself warned: it will be really hard for me (or anyone else) to follow you if you’re tweeting all crazy.

twitter style guide

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Technology

Getting The Most Out of Twitter

I gave up on major news outlets a long time ago. I haven’t had cable in years. I am not a neanderthal.

I don’t need news from traditional sources. I heard that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, about the tragedy at Sandy Hook, and that Ohio University beat Michigan in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament in 2012–all from Twitter.

getting the most out of twitter

I think most people give up on Twitter or dismiss it all together because they think it’s best used to find out when your friends have to take a leak or to tweet pictures of omelets. I think if you use Twitter as an information gathering tool as I suggest below you’ll find it will quickly become your favorite news and resource tool.

  1. Don’t follow your “friends”. They’re the reason you hate Facebook. “Friends” online are not your friends in real life. They are acquaintances you’ve met once who post pictures of kissy faces in the mirror and complain about how school/work/their life sucks. Remember, Twitter isn’t reciprocal like Facebook is. Just because someone follows you doesn’t mean you should follow them. In fact, don’t. Continue reading
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