Posted by Christopher Stevenson
Before I began working for CUES, I had heard of blogs but I didn't really understand their purpose. I assumed bloggers weren't much more than under-employed former poli-sci and English majors who had too much time on their hands and needed to figure out a way to make use of their education. I had friends that read them, but I couldn't see quite how they would be relevant to me or my work. Then I joined CUES.
In my first couple weeks of working here, my boss introduced me to OpenSourceCU.com and Gonzobanker. New to the industry, but responsible for knowing what's going on in the movement and the financial services sector as a whole, I suddenly saw the relevance of blogs. They shortened my learning curve, introduced me to credit unions that were doing cool things and innovative CU advocates, and provided a foundation for understanding social media.
Today, I don't think there's any question about the value of blogs. The challenge is finding the gems, the most relevant and useful information among all the great sources, especially with busy schedules at work and home. There's so much good information out there, but how do you find it easily?
Now there's a way. Matt Davis, the Credit Union Warrior, has developed the CU Water Cooler, a site where some of the most active members in the online conversation can share the posts they're reading. Each of the 12 editors maintains an RSS feed of the posts he or she is reading and enjoying. Then, once a day, the site compares the feeds to identify which posts the editors agree are most worth reading. It's a great way to filter through the noise. And coming soon will be a CU Water Cooler weekly podcast that highlights some of the top stories from the week.
Check it out, read some posts, and leave a comment. There's always room around the water cooler, and what could be cooler than that?
