The ubiquity of information is the hallmark of this age – whether you’re in business or the not-for-profit sector; whether you’re a kid or a grown-up; 
whether you’re in HR, finance, marketing or engineering; whether you’re the CEO, CHRO, accounting manager, marketing specialist or HR generalist. Between traditional (dying?) print sources, Wikipedia, the blogosphere, content rich websites and the usual suspects in the functional association world, there are thousands of sources – and more appearing every day – all beckoning us to turn to them as the source of up-to-date, relevant and cutting edge HR information.
In the HR world, the largest professional associations (led by SHRM, WorldatWork and ASTD) invest significantly in supplying first generation content meant to inform and educate. All three of them publish periodicals focused on keeping their members in the know and preparing them for regulatory changes, certification and greater organizational impact. Other print outlets, notably Workforce Management and HR Executive, while more limited in readership, expand the knowledge base in helpful ways.
Then there are a host of other content generators/aggregators: among them, i4cp, HCI, HR.com and the newcomer, SmartBrief on Workforce. (Truth in lending: I’ve just joined the Advisory Board of Smartbrief on Workforce.) I really enjoy this particular aggregator because it comes daily and it brings together content from sources as far and wide as Harvard Business Review, SHRM, blogs like HRRingleader and another newcomer, TLNT.
The editor, Mary Ellen Slayter, who was prominently featured in a series of video interviews broadcast online from the SHRM 2010 Annual Conference in San Diego last month, has put together a source pool that is impressive, informative and up-to-the-minute. Frankly, the combination of SHRM Online and Smartbrief on Workforce really keep me on top of things. I still have over 84 HR blogs in my Google Reader and I still subscribe to HBR, Fortune and a whole range of more traditional publications. But for my daily quick hit on what’s happening in – or to – the profession, those two are my go-to sources.
What are your go-to sources? What did I miss? Who else should we be turning to for the latest in HR? Enquiring minds (with a nod to the National Enquirer) want to know…
chinagorman.com 
China,
Thanks for the mentioning HR Ringleader in your post. Like you, I follow almost all the same sources you do for my HR information. Another thing I do is follow HR Technology blogs like those by Naomi Bloom (http://influllbloom.us) and Steve Boese (http://steveboese.squarespace.com). I also listen to the HR Happy Hour radio show and DriveThru HR radio show on Blogtalk radio as often as I can. People can find them by going to http://blogtalkradio.com and searching for the show names.
I also challenge myself to read blogs about design, culture, leadership, finance, and science to keep my mind fresh and figure out how what’s going on in those areas can relate to HR. I personally love ScienceBlogs (http://scienceblogs.com) and Life Without Buildings
(http://lifewithoutbuildings.net).
Trish: your resonse explains your popularity as a blogger and your leadership position as an HR thought leader. Thanks for these suggestions. I’m adding them right now!
Hey China – I have subscribed (for years, literally) to benefitslink.com for their daily aggregated newsletter on employee benefits issues and breaking news. They have a retirement plan newsletter as well. I’ve scooped my attorney on newly issued regs with this subscription. (link here to subscribe – http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/)
I also great really great info on health plan info Employee Benefit News. Another wonderful, daily and timely resource.
And then there’s always TMZ and Perez…
Nancy
Nancy: thanks for adding to the list! These are great! “Hi” to the girls. 🙂
Thanks China, for the kind words about TLNT. It is a work in progress but we are moving ahead bit-by-bit. I would love for you to contribute a guest post some time, when the spirit moves you!
John: glad to see TLNT gearing up so quickly. Would be honored to do a guest post. Let me get this whole blogging thing into my routine for a month or so and then let’s talk!
China, I find blogs to be a fantastic source of HR information and I agree with Lance that they are getting better.
Last week a non-social media HR pro asked me where to go to find good online HR info. I subscribe to a ton of blogs but I gave her these five sites to start with:
Mike Van Dervort http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/
Mark Stelzner http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/
Laurie Ruettiman http://punkrockhr.com/
Sharlyn Lauby http://www.hrbartender.com/
Fist Full of Talent http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/
Alicia: these are all on my Google Reader and while I don’t get to them every day, I get to them every week. Great insights and discussions at all 5. Thanks for sharing!
You covered most of my favorite HR sources. I’m biased but HR blogs are getting better (others, not mine). I used to scan much more than I do now. On the recruiting and staffing side, ERE (biased of course) and associations like Northwest Recruiters Association.
WSJ, HBR, Fortune and Fast Company are probably my favorite non-HR sources. Honestly, that’s where I get a lot of personal revelations about creativity, how my mind works or “the big picture.”
Hey, Lance. Thanks for commenting. I keep remembering the HR Blogger panel at SHRM09 when we discussed whether bloggers were journalists. So I’m torn. I agree with you that many of the HR blogs are getting better. Really rich insights and innovative conversations. That’s why I mentioned TLNT — you and John are doing a great job there blending opinion with reporting. I forgot Fast Company. Seems like that’s coming back.
I take Fast Company as it comes. Sometimes it is really fantastic, other times not so much. It is worth it for the good times though.
The journalist piece still is confounding but I think I’ve just grown to accept it is what it is. As long as you are clear what is opinion, what isn’t and make it interesting and readable, you’ll find success in whatever you want to call it. 🙂
Great resource China; I know some folks who are newbees to HR. I will forward this to them and tell them it is must reading, a whose who of HR.
Keep it coming!!
Dave: thanks so much for reading and for sharing. Hope we get to meet in IRL sometime.
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