When Print Emulates Web

Today while doing my cardio and reading magazines, I noticed something completely awesome in Inc. Magazine. I originally picked up the magazine because the front cover story was “How the Ford Model Agency Became the Hottest Thing on YouTube.” I actually didn’t know that the Ford Model Agency was successful doing digital videos, and after reading the story, I know now why.  It helps that the agency is compiled of beautiful women. Beautiful things are easy to look at and definitely have the best potential at going viral.

Thumbing through the magazine I noticed that they tried to throw you back towards their website constantly.  Every article was about one of their online bloggers, giving links of more articles to read, more things to participate in on their site. And the awesome part was, every link that was printed on the page looked like a link as it appears on the web.  I don’t know what genius thought of this, but sure enough, when I got home from the gym…. I went to Inc.com.

I am now definitely considering a subscription to Inc., as I am already subscribed to Wired, and I need more reading material for my long daily rides on the F Train. For the price of about $10 for the year, I can’t go wrong.

Any other recommendations of awesome reads are greatly appreciated.

10 Websites that Lived in my Tabs during 2007

2007 was a huge year for Web 2.0 and my Firefox browser! Becoming almost unbearable, there are multiple sites that must be updated and checked on an hourly basis. Thank goodness for RSS readers. With the uproar of Social News, Social Media, and the overwhelming number of blogs to read, I thought it was about time to pay homage to the sites that have been living in my Firefox tabs.

1. Facebook- As I discussed in my latest SEO Chicks post…this was the year of Facebook.                                                                                                                            
2. Stumble Upon- This great tool can generate huge traffic spikes or keep you entertained for hours. Don’t forget to “Stumble” all my posts. There is also a topnotch Facebook application for Stumble Upon users.
3. Digg*- Such controversy that I can’t help but to partake. Digg is often fun but also really annoying. I keep it open in my browser because I have a lot of friends articles to digg. “Gotta Digg”                                    
4. Twitter- I’m really on the fence about Twitter. I get it and its fun and a great attention getter for 5 minutes… I’m not sure if I could ever get used to doing it. I tried doing it from my Blackberry, from IM, from the website, and I just don’t think it’s for me. However, I keep it open to read about my friends who love twittering.
5. Sphinn-Quite honestly one of the most addicting Social News Sites to pop up. It’s like an instant update of the industry. If I missed something while reading my daily feed, I get caught up on Sphinn. And of course its great to be able to give friends and mentors the props that they deserve. It’s like a huge community that is feeding each other!                                                                                                                                  
6. Mixx- Even though this site is still very new, and I don’t see the word “beta” dissapearing anytime soon, it’s fun! It has fresh appeal to me and in my opinion is a lot easier to use than Digg, so it lives in my tabs!
7. Mashable*- A social news blog that updates so frequently, I am forced to read and re-read daily. Because I tend to get fustrated when I see the number (319) in my feed headline, I usually revisit Mashable during the day outside the reader!                                                                                                              
8. Engadget- The insanely popular gadget blog that in my opinion is as important to read as any blog. I’m a gadget fiend, and I love reading about new technology… I just wish I could afford half of the things reviewed on this blog.                                                                                                                                                     
9. SEO Book- The guy who wrote the book, Aaron Wall, has such useful website and blog! I research keywords using his tools all the time as well as use his SEO plug-in for Firefox. I keep his latest research tool open all day long.                                                                                                                                
10. Gmail/Chat- OK, this is a given…but it lives in my tabs and on my Blackberry! I am a big fan of G-mail and G-Chat. A few weeks ago AIM integrated with G-Chat and now this is the most important tab on my browser. Last week, I had an issue with my Gmail account and I couldn’t sign in…. I felt like a part of me was missing.

* These sites are most often read using my Bloglines reader.