Social Media Challange: What I've Discovered

I've been taking part in the Social Media Challenge for just over a week. During that time, other participants have shared interesting blogs and intriguing posts, and my Google Reader reading list has doubled. Interestingly, I've not only added posts that fit the Challenge's requirements, but also other blogs that may be more popular, but somehow never made its way onto my RSS reader.

Here's some of the more interesting things I've discovered because of the challenge:

• Reading other people's blogs really encourages you to write. When I was reading the same blogs everyday, I wasn't being inspired. The content was solid, but it was repetitive. Now that I'm reading a wide variety of blogs, I'm finding more information that I want to explore myself.
• Catching up on your RSS feeds gets a lot more interesting when you're driven to comment. I added another level to my personal Social Media Challenge - before I shared or tweeted a post, I'd comment on it. This practice has made me read more critically and take part in more online conversations.
• I may never read every blog relevant to my industry and interests, but I can read a lot of them - and there are a ton sharing great information, written by people who really know what they're talking about. Maybe colleges should offer electives in Blog Reading 101 in addition to English Lit. Just sayin'.

If you're taking part in the Social Media Challenge, what have you learned so far? If you're not, catch up on all the posts we've shared!