Whether you have acclimated or not, you are in the information-rich / information-now world. The problem is controlling the information to the relevancy of your life and not crashing your brain from the information overload.
I admit, compared to most 40 somethings I know, I am obsessed with getting information,sharing information, and learning as much as I can from the information. I've learned over time that I have to control the information I allow to reach my eyes, otherwise, I would never look up and I might go on the fritz.
I select my controls based on topic. So, for BusinessTalk purposes, lets look at insurance.
When I say, Twitter ( www.twitter.com ), you may get all a flutter, but this can be a tool to assist you in the management and growth of your business. The key is selecting the right companies, or people to follow in order to ensure you acquire more useful data, and less irrelevant clutter.
You may decide to follow Ryan Seacrest, Ashton Kutcher, or Pee-wee Herman, but I'm not sure it will ever help you grow your business, or stimulate your intellect. But to each his own.
You may also decide to "tweet" yourself. If you do, decide who you would like your audience to be over time: your customers, your industry, etc. and keep your tweets relevant to the topic. Save the short comments of, "Dinner was awesome @ McDonald's!" for places like FaceBook or FriendFinder and use Twitter as a business tool.
Here are a few recommendations of companies to follow, and why I think they should be on your list.
Insurance Journal
You'll find Insurance Journal on Twitter as ijournal. Insurance Journal offers quick reads on news items they may be related regionally, nationally, or globally. As insurance people, we need to stay up to date on trends and actions no matter their location. We are responsible to our clients and partners to be able to communicate industry news. ijournal will offer a wide range of news items and you can pick and choose those you wish to drill down.
Human Resources Guru
HumResourceGuru, will assist you in staying up-to-date with legal information, ideas for staff, and ways to train and retain staff. You may have a staff big or small, but you've got to guide them all. These tweets will help you stay current with HR.
Fast Company
Fast company has been a magazine I've enjoyed for a few years. The ideas are fresh and presented well. While most items are not directly insurance related, you will find tech and concepts that can be applied in a variety of disciplines.
The Economist
This is another fantastically well written and informative magazine I have leaned on for years. You will find their news stories give you a large global view and you will be amazed at how relevant it is, or could become to your day to day.
As you enter topics on twitter you'll find much more that is of interest to you. I twitter on my iphone when I wake up, at lunch, and just before bed. If I discover an interesting topic I forward a copy of the article or blog to my e-mail for a deeper review when time permits or I pass it along to staff members if I believe it is relevant to their everyday activities. Be careful how many tweets you email to colleagues as they will stop reviewing them if you send them too frequently.
Should you like, you can follow me @donowens. You'll find my tweets relevant to two main areas, faith and business, with some re-tweets in-between.
You can follow Empower on Twitter @empowerins.
So join me in becoming an insurance twit.
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