Matthew Lang

I'm writing this blog post on the web application, Draft. It's been a while since I used it. I stopped using it a while back in favour of Byword, but the problem with Byword is that it just isn't sticking as an app that I like using. Functionally it works like a dream, but there's something about it that I don't like.

So I'm giving Draft another go and already I'm enjoying using it. Yes it does do a few things extra than Byword, but that's not why I am using it again. Is it the preference for a web application over a native application? I don't know, it could be.

All I know is that if you're not happy with the tools you have then you should find the tools that do make you happy while you work.

I mentioned yesterday that the web can be a great platform for communicating and change, but is often misused. I gave an example of such a misuse, a petition that lacked worthy content. Not worthy of your time, which to you is precious. And that's another problem with the web. There's so much of it. How do we filter the signals, the content that you should be consuming, from the noise, the content that isn't worth even looking at?

Searching the web can yield some real finds like topical blogs, forums and e-books. This takes time though, and once we find an interesting source of content, we then need to spend some time validating the content. In my experience I have found that the best content is the content that is referred to you others. Two examples of this are content that is referred to you from others in your network and content from curated newsletters.

From Your Network

Over time I've built up this network of bloggers around me who put great content on their blogs. Michael Wade, Kurt Harden, Curtis McHale andNicholas Bate to name a few. I've been reading their blogs for a long time now, and when I see something interesting on their blogs that I would like to share, I link to it from my own blog.

It also works the other way. When any of these bloggers find something interesting on my blog they pass it on to their readers. This network of blogs is a great source of vetted content that I can be assured will interest me. Building a network like this can take time, but it's worth it in the end.

From Newsletters

I subscribe to a number of newsletters. Some for programming, some for writing and there's plenty of others. Email newsletters were once the crowning glory of the internet but then RSS came along. People found it easier to manage a feed reader than their burgeoning inbox. However newsletters have recently made a comeback.

The great thing about newsletters are that they are curated by someone else. Thought and time has been put into ensuring that the newsletter contains relevant content for its subscribers. And it's for this reason that I subscribe to a fair few newsletters. I don't want to invest time in searching for content when someone else can provide it for me.

These are two of the main ways in which I filter the best content for myself. There are others ways, but these two methods I find yield the best content for me.

The internet is an amazing platform for the world to communicate and innovate on. It can provide volumes of information at our finger tips, allow us to communicate with others on the far side of the world and if you're brave enough, it even allows you to publish your own creations such as books, music and more.

And yet, it is continually misused the world over. Where most people see it as an open communication tool, some see it as a surveillance system. Where most people see it as an e-commerce tool, others see it as a tool for defrauding and cheating. Where most people see it as a tool for change, others see it as a tool for control.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few days, you'll know that Ben Affleck was chosen to play Batman in the next Batman/Superman movie. It's been met with mixed opinions, but the decision to cast Ben Affleck has prompted a petition on Change.org to have Ben Affleck removed as Batman. It hardly seems a worthy use of the tools that the internet provides.

I've signed a number of petitions on Change.org that I have identified as being of benefit to individuals or whole populations. In each case, the petitions that I have signed would be of worthy benefit to others if action was to be taken as a result of the petition.

I refuse to sign a petition that calls for a casting choice for a movie to be removed. It simply doesn't rank as important enough a topic for me to get upset or passionate about it. And it shouldn't even have got as far having a petition on Change.org.

I'm not saying that the internet can't be used for debate and entertainment. I frequent a lot of websites on a daily basis where discussions take place over the best programming languages, the best text editor and other topics. Yes these are discussions that aren't a priority, but the debate is entertaining.

What I find wrong is when perfectly good tools for helping people are mis-used.

All around the world there people that require your help. As an individual you may feel powerless to do anything on your own but by taking the right positive action, you could be another cog in the wheel that will eventually turn and provide people with the beneficial changes they really need.

So with that in mind, why not be a good responsible netizen and use your web tools wisely. Used correctly, they can bring good to others.

Start with Steven Pressfield's Foolscap Method to get yourself started.

Love the paint job on this frame.

via FGGT

NB is off the grid for the moment, but Kurt Harden has a great place to start if you want to start reading some of NB's many great books.

Just a few more e-books that I am considering purchasing or they're not released yet.

• Everyday Rails Testing with RSpec - I'm a big fan of MiniTest but I can't simply stick to one testing framework when clients come to me with a codebase using RSpec. The two testing frameworks are quite similar in syntax but they do have their differences so it would be good if I was more faimiliar with RSpec.
• Mastering Modern Payments Using Stripe with Rails - I've used PayPal in the past for taking payments, but it is footery to work with. I've heard nothing but good things about Stripe since they took off in US. Now that they're in the UK, now would be a good time to learn more about using Stripe with Rails.
• Learn to Run a Viable Business - Last but definitely not least is the book that I will be purchasing as soon as it comes out on the 27th. Curtis McHale, a blog hero of mine and a very knowledgable chap when it comes to freelancing, is putting together a book with advice to help make sure you are in fact running a viable business as a freelancer.

Some additions to my current reading list involve a couple of new e-books that I have purchased recently.

• Brandiing by Adii Pienaar - Bought out of the curiosity of knowing if this book could help me on a couple of side projects but also if there's was a way of better branding myself.
• The Freelancer's Guide to Long-Term Contracts by Eric Davis - I'm still light on clients as a freelancer but I am busy. With the clients that I do have, I want to build more of long-term relationship with them rather than just walk on to the next client/project. I hope this book will help with this.

That's the problem with e-books. They're so damn easy to buy!