Consistently among INBOUND's top rated speakers, Rand Fishkin is that rare combination of super intelligent, talented, and kind. We're delighted to announce that he's returning to the INBOUND stage this September in Boston. I asked Rand to answer our "What I Read..." series questions, and his response is my favorite so far. Come along with me now and let's peek over Rand's shoulder to see his online reading habits and tips. I defy every one of you not to find at least one new awesome read...

What is your #1 source for staying on top of your world?

Gmail (followed closely by Twitter, then Google+)

When and what do you read online?

I scan a tremendous amount via my social feeds (Twitter and Google+), then go (in order) to Hacker News, Inbound.org, and Techmeme. If I have time, I also love TrueReddit.

Rinse and repeat that cycle 2-4X per day depending on how much time I get outside of meetings/travel/other obligations.

What is your favorite place on the web?

Everywhereist - it's my retreat from the weird world of SEO into the magical world of Geraldine's writing

Which people or feeds or blogs do you follow?

Who is someone undiscovered that we should be reading?

Mark Traphagen on Google+ is great: https://plus.google.com/u/1/+MarkTraphagen/posts

What is your biggest pet peeve about content? 

Signal to noise ratio and a sense that many marketers are, tragically, making content because they think they're supposed to and not because they have something truly valuable to say/share.

What is the most memorable piece of content of all time?

It's probably a religious text (or several). Maybe in the future, a scientific piece of content (like Cosmos) could replace that (if humanity's lucky) :-)

How would you rank your favorite social apps?

Screen_Shot_2014-06-11_at_6.35.17_PM

If content types were stocks, which ones would you buy, which would you sell, and which would you hold?

BUY: (write in: interactive content and tools)

HOLD: newsletters, slide decks, video, blog posts, and books 

SELL: infographics, podcasts, and ebooks/white papers

What haven't we asked you that you'd like to talk about?

Mobile Apps rankings?

Don't miss Rand Fishkin, Martha Stewart, Simon Sinek and a whole roster of incredible speakers coming to Boston September 15-18 for INBOUND 2014. Tickets (regularly $1499) are just $999 through July 15.

INBOUND 2014: Register Today and Save $700!

Originally published Jun 18, 2014 8:30:00 AM, updated January 18 2023