Last night I went to listen to a talk by Howard Rheingold, a crucial thinker in the field of social media and virtual communities.  He’s just written a new book called, “Net Smart: How to Thrive Online”, which is essentially about how to use social media intelligently.  The key/most interesting things I took away from the lecture were: 

• “I think there are still some professors who are in denial that they are in competition with the entire Internet.”
• Begin to develop an inner observer to see where your attention goes to.
• “Attention to intention is how the mind changes the brain.”
• “The more you think about paying attention to what you mean to do, the more your capability to actually do this grows.”
• On crap detection: “Think like a detective.  Look for clues.  Don’t assume that anything is for real at first.” 
• Triangulate! That is, find 3 good sources to confirm information before passing it on.  People who don’t triangulate just create gossip.
• “If nobody in your network annoys you, you are in an echo chamber.”
• There is real power in knowing how to participate.
• “A person who thinks of herself as a creator of culture has a much stronger sense of agency as a citizen than someone who thinks of himself as only a consumer of culture that’s created by others.”
• “Don’t just consume—create.”
• “Crap-detect thyself before broadcasting questionable info.”
• “Casual conversation builds trust.”
• “Nothing is static; there’s a new medium everyday.”

More details about the talk can be found in the article that I wrote for The Stanford Daily here.
For more information about Howard Rheingold, click here—because I mean, who wouldn’t want to know more about a guy who has enough pizazz to pull off that jacket he wore?