Words of Wisdom from Dan Edelmen (via Culpwrit)

Every once in a while, a blogger makes a "top ten" list that actually has some really insightful points that people should hear. When I was reading Culpwrit, I came across a list of keys to success by Dan Edelman that was definitely worth reading. For the too-long/didn't-read crowd, here are the points I found most relevant to us as students:

1. "Celebrate your victories but be quick about it so you can get back to the game." This is especially applicable to our recent NSAC victory. We've been celebrating our win for almost a month now. However, while we've been celebrating, our new account executives have been strategizing, coordinating and learning to prepare for the new year. I hate to predict the outcome of any competition I'm a part of, but I will say that I respect the dedication of our new leaders who, while the excitement hasn't faded, already know they have to work even harder to keep our team innovative and creative. Thanks Anna Duffy, Simon Blockley and Lexi Vanni!

2. "There are three legs to the stool - family, work and community." It's hard when your work becomes your life, your co-workers your family and your office your community. But I think, as long as you're aware of all of these elements, you can still provide for a good work environment that can transfer itself into the world beyond the office doors.

3. 'Woe to the young person who fails to take notes-sure to prompt a “never do that again” comment.' My memory's already going - that's why I keep my notebook (and my blog!) consistently updated with pertinent new information, things I want to keep close and possible topics for the future. Write it down, or else you'll forget it.

This article has inspired me to look for another professional to interview, since I got such great information from Joy Donnell when I interviewed her a few months ago. Any suggestions or connections out there?

I'm Anti-Google Reader

I love blogs. I love to read them, to visit them. The reason why I frequent my favorites, is that it has its own identity and purpose, even if sometimes content overlaps. When I signed up for Google Reader in November, I had a realization: a lot of a blog's appeal can come from its aesthetic as much as its content.

For example, Geekologie.com.

I love this blog. The writer is hilarious and the things he features are zany and random and all things geeks love. It's a place where I can scroll through a Star Wars tattoo to a man blending an iPad to something useful, like China's newly-discovered "yeti." Reading Geekologie mixed in among posts from Gizmodo and industry blogs, made me lose the purpose that I was reading it for in the first place. Maybe it's just me personally, but I find actually visiting a blog and reading the content in its natural environment can make or break the reader's experience. It's possible to sort with Google Reader and find only Geekologie posts, but doesn't that lose the purpose? Why not just go to the actual blog? At the same time, sometimes formatting and links are lost. As a stickler for readability, I hate to see when formatting is sacrificed. Sometimes Google Reader can take a bad formatting and make it better, but it seems more likely that the original formatting was just fine, and it gets sacrificed for simplicity.

While Google is fantastic at simplifying every aspect of life, this is one thing I'd rather not be simplified. Are there any hardcore Google Reader fans out there that would disagree? What do you think?