The internet is a big place – information coming from everywhere, all the time. To get ahead in your online business, you need to keep up to date. But how do you manage this constant flow of information to make sure you get what you need out of it? There is a process that I work through each day to make sure I extract maximum value from all of the information. Think of these in reverse too – giving your customers these tools make it very easy to find and distribute your content:

Email - This is my start point. It might sound obvious, but the information I want to read every day I get delivered straight to me. A lot of blog sites have the option to subscribe through feedburner, which essentially takes all the new posts from a given period and delivers them in text format to my inbox. I get it on my iPhone which means I can take it with me and access when I want, even when out of range.

Google Reader – Google reader is my online start point. Here I aggregate the feeds of all the blogs I read regularly (inlcuding those I get emailed to me), but may not have the time to consume. I can come back to them later and not have to visit each site.

Tweetdeck  – Why not just use the Twitte site? Simple, Tweetdeck makes working with Twitter much easier for me. I have lists of my favourite Tweeters making it easy to separate their tweets from the rest and get to what I really want to read. Because Twitter is a constant stream of information, extracting value from this and finding new info is a huge challenge. Using tools like Tweetdeck make it easier. Their iPhone app allows me to extend this experience when I am on the move.

Instapaper – So I have found all of these pieces of content that I want to read – how do I get to them all? Unless I set aside time to do it (which I often do), I tend to find myself reading headlines and coming back to them later. Using a service like Instapaper allows me to aggregate them all in one place to read later. I have a bookmark button from my browser that makes it easy to put a pin on. And when I’m ready to read it, Instapaper takes away formatting and ads and gives me what I want to read.

Once I have read the information I want and found what I consider of value, then I can go about retweeting, bookmarking, or even blogging in response to share what I have found.

Everyone does it different – how do you manage the information onslaught of the internet?

Related posts:

1. Is Social Media Just Marketing to Your Competitors?
2. Managing Your Online Business Reputation
3. Highlights from the Affili@SYD Conference
4. Credibility, Ethics and the Internet
5. Credibility, Ethics and the Internet – Update