The 2 types of tech blogs you need to read

I've worked at a variety of tech companies, but what I consider one of my best skills is one I acquired from writing news for a Miami TV station shortly after I graduated college: The ability to sniff out the germ of truth* in every news story.

It's a skill anyone can develop -- it's actually a pretty easy one to learn. All you need is a variety of sources:

1. 3 or more news providers (i.e., CNN, CNBC, your local news station)
2. 1 or more sources of analysis (NPR, Fox news [ew], even the Daily Show can provide supplementary analysis)

Use the information you get from the three news providers to zero in on the facts, and use analysis to set context for why a particular story matters and whether it matters to you.

In the tech world, I use the following for news:

1. TechCrunch
2. Hacker News
3. Silicon Alley Insider

And the following for analysis:

1. BetaBeat for broad analysis of news trends
2. Quora for more targeted analysis or deeper dives on particular topics

The tech scene is a world of momentum, strong opinions and big egos. When you voice your opinion, it helps if you can site an external source to show that you're providing thoughtful, well-researched information. Doing a lot of research will also help you feel confident standing your ground when faced with aggressive questioning (this happens, even at parties). So get out there, and get reading!

*Well, "truth" in the sense that it's the parts of the story everyone agrees on.