Few professions in today’s world evolve as quickly as those tied to the web, and on the business end of those professions, you’ll often find a geek. If you’re reading this, you also know that geeks come in all varieties, and that they often love to identify and communicate with other geeks.
Through that identification and communication, we come to learn that a career on the web will be a career of constant challenges and learning experiences. Those of you that thirst for knowledge are in a better position than ever to connect with others like you and to further contribute to the growth of this glorious thing we call the web, and to our knowledge of it.
The idea of celebrity.
There’s this thing about the people that love and work on the web that seems to separate it from the most of the world at large, and that thing is this: people that have what you might call celebrity status (the Zeldmans, Meyers, Manns, Marcottes, Verous and Cederholms) within the world of the web are far more accessible to those of you who love the web just as much but haven’t achieved the same level of recognition. Through that accessibility we also often realize that they’re real people who–more often than not–will answer a question on Twitter, or run into the some of the same day to day issues as you.
Real people.
Many magazines, websites, and blogs offer the writings of the professionals and trendsetters that we admire, but few do so well at humanizing and engaging us with those same people as the podcasting and broadcasting network 5by5.
Founded by Dan Benjamin of Hivelogic, the 5by5 podcasting network has been breaking the silence and the boredom of web builders, the technologically inclined and many more since 2009. I’ve been a listener for just about a year now and the network has grown and evolved so much in that short time and has accelerated my dedication to my profession and craft, and my awareness of them.
Learning from the practical experience of others like you allows you to rationalize things that it would be tough to otherwise. Their perspective may be similar but will almost always differ in some way, allowing you insight into a point of view that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
All work and no play…
We’ll I’ve gotten on about professionalism and work for a while, but what about stuff that’s not so learning or news intensive? They have shows that regularly discuss pop culture like movies, music and television as well. In short: they have a little something for everyone.
In closing…
The 5by5 Network has helped me learn many things, and helped me to maintain a sense of humor about the work that I do, when otherwise I’d feel like I was drowning in bugs and browser compatibility tests.
Few generations before this one can say that they had access to an easily customized radio station, targeted directly to many their professional and personal interests. High quality. For free (the FEW ads that exist are always entertaining, and for products I’ll likely use at some point).
For that, I thank you, 5by5.
