I love reading stuff like this because you can see the passion that everyone has for their little corner of the technology world. It’s even more interesting when you consider that it’s a completely personal choice. Boxers or briefs, who gives a crap as long as you’re comfortable.

Twitter is a fantastic tool and I use it as much as possible. I’ve connected with several people via Twitter that I would have never met otherwise. These people have provided me great insight into a great many subjects and I look forward to reading what they have to say each and every day. Unfortunately, Twitter only gives you 140 characters to get your point across and you can’t preview links referenced in various Tweets. In addition, not everyone that has something worth saying uses Twitter. I also struggle to keep up with the 90 or so individuals that I follow on Twitter. I can’t imagine trying to keep up with over 10,000.

Google Reader is also a great tool. I subscribe to several technology blogs that provide me with information on things that interest me; tablet PCs, Windows 7, Apple computers, smartphones, photography, pharmacy, drug information, pharmacy technology, informatics, etc. There are things that I get from Google Reader that I simply don’t get from Twitter, and that’s ok. I have more than 140 characters worth of information in Google Reader and can preview the entire article using a Firefox plug-in called Better GReader. In addition Google Reader gives me what I believe are several great options for managing the information I’ve chosen to read. Twitter may offer this as well with favorites and lists, but I haven’t figured out how to best use these functions.

However, the biggest reason for my use of both Twitter and Google Reader is my hospitals policy on the use of cell phones and social media. Twitter is strictly taboo and blocked at my hospital and cell phones are not permitted while working. Google Reader isn’t blocked, yet, so I make use of it. Twitter is something I check while taking a break, eating lunch or walking from one meeting to another. Bottom line, you use the tools that are available to you when they’re available. Is Twitter better than Google Reader? Who cares, it’s a personal preference.

Louis utilizes Google Reader to collect and sort various RSS feeds. Any story, blog, article, etc. that he finds interesting get pushed to Twitter via the share feature in Google Reader (see the graphical representation at Louis’ site).

In the other corner you have Robert “using not RSS, but Twitter, to share the best of the technology Web as it streams on his screen.” Robert appears to be making extensive use of his Twitter Favorites.

I’ve found Twitter to be a valuable tool for collecting information from sources that I would have never thought to pursue. It is truly a micro-RSS feed if ever there was one. With that said I still like to use Google Reader for many of the reason listed by Louis in his post; “1. Sharing of the Original Source, 2. Full Content Beyond 140 Characters, 3. Rich Media, 4. Integrated Comments On Each Item, 5. Not All Blog Content Gets Sent To Twitter.” Twitter gives me a starting point, while Google Reader is typically my final stop.

I use a Firefox add-on called Better GReader that allows me to preview an entire post from within Google Reader, something I don’t believe can be accomplished with Twitter. When I find something worth sharing I use the functionality of Google Reader to push the information through FriendFeed directly to Twitter, so I suppose my method is almost identical to Louis Gray’s.

There are so many ways to collect information from the internet that it makes my head spin just trying to keep up. Robert Scoble is well known for being on the edge of things which means that he’s probably at a place that I’ll get to in about 12 months, but for now I’ll continue using the system I’ve developed because it’s working for me. And that’s really the key to any system; finding the right fit for you.

Keep in mind that no matter what you’re using this week to collect and share information there is a good chance that it will be obsolete in the not too distant future. As long as you’re open to change you should be fine. Even Twitter won’t last forever; nothing ever does.

Keeping up requires a combination of technology and a little will power. Some things I’ve found helpful include:

1. Twitter – Twitter is supposed to be a micro-blogging social network, but it’s turned into a great source of information on pretty much anything you can imagine. The more I use Twitter, the more I come to rely on it for up to the minute information on technology, healthcare, and pharmacy. It reminds me of a mini-RSS feed. In fact, it has almost replaced the traditional RSS feed on my desktop.

2. Google Reader – While Twitter is slowly becoming my primary source of information, I’m just not ready to give up my RSS feeds. Find websites and blogs that you can rely on and collect them in a centralized location. Any RSS reader will do, but my personal choice is Google Reader.

3. Clinical Reader – Clinical Reader is an unusual combination of aggregated websites and journals. The service is in the beta phase, but looks promising.

4. BlackBag – BlackBag is an iPhone application by Ortho-McNeil that offers up medical news from multiple sources in a mobile format. I’ve found it useful as many of the clips are from sources I would not normally read.

5. Evernote – Evernote is a great way to keep track of pretty much everything, from quick notes to entire web pages. In addition to the web interface, Evernote offers versions for mobile phones (iPhone and BlackBerry) and the desktop. I’ve been using Evernote off and on for a while, but to see its true value take a look at the public Evernote folder created by RxInformatics.com. Wow!

6. Pick several journals to follow. Keep it reasonable. If you try to follow too many journals you’ll never be able to keep up. My list includes American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the American Medical informatics Association,  Annals of Pharmacotherpy, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, Pharmacotherpy, Annals of Internal Medicine, and a few “throw-a-ways”. Read the table of contents with each new issue and dig deeper into the articles that interest you. Most medical literature publishers offer some form of RSS feed to keep you informed (see #1 and #2 above).

7. Go mobile – There’s nothing easier than reading on the go, or better yet listening to podcasts. Devices like the iPhone and the BlackBerry series make it a snap. The combination of Twitter and Evernote on a mobile device makes keeping up and keeping track easier than ever before. Take advantage of the mobile environment when you can.

8. Colleagues – This is a big one. Making contact with people you trust and using them for information is key. Remember, there is always someone harder working, better informed and smarter. The trick is finding those people and picking their brains.