Favorite Founts of Info
Knowledge Management, Technology, Grammar, and Leadership
Grammarly
Grammarly is the only application I insist on always running, no matter what I’m working on. I tested out of English in college, and I’ve been writing for my entire career. I still learn things from Grammarly. It’s a QA partner, another set of eyes most of the time. It catches the silly mistakes we all miss. But it catches deeper misses, too. It provides suggestions to improve writing that doesn’t have errors but doesn’t align with the tone you stated as your goal. It points out when you could be more precise. Rarely does it get something wrong. And that far outweighs the improvements it suggests and the mistakes it finds. Many people think things like grammar are too small to matter. I’m afraid I have to disagree. I believe that trust is earned by doing the little things right. A large bank will not trust a company to handle something critical if it cannot correct its grammar.
Knowledgebase Ninjas
Knowledgebase Ninjas Podcast by Gowri Ramkumar is a great listen focused on technical writing in the SaaS world.
KM World
KM World Knowledge Management World is a website that provides insight to many vendors that offer software for knowledge management and technical writing. They offer classes like Taxonomy Bootcamps and they host a large conference each year. I enjoy the quarterly magazine but you can view a lot of info online. Note: You may want to use an alias; accessing info results in quite an on onslaught of emails.
Keeping yourself knowledgeable about knowledge means your work is never done!
Technology Education
W3 Schools
w3schools.com is a handy source for checking how to code something specific on the fly. You can use this site to practice and learn most (perhaps all) programming languages:
- Free: You can learn a lot using w3’s tutorials and Try it Yourself feature for free! You can also build 1 static website.
- Plus version is an affordable way to take it to the next level with and create up 15 static websites.
- Certification: If you’re willing to pay a bit more you can get certified in a host of languages and technology skills.
Frontend Masters
Frontend Masters might sound like it’s all about the front end—but that’s just the tip of the stack. Based in Minneapolis, this powerhouse of code education delivers deep dives across the full stack, taught by real-world pros from big-name companies. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a battle-tested dev, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.
Udemy
Udemy is a great place to find a huge variety of courses — both in size and difficulty, as well as topic. If you need a break from technical content you can learn about health, fitness, and music! Most courses are included in their reasonable $20 monthly fee. However, the most interesting and newer courses tend to be excluded. You can try it out first by taking advantage of one of their many sales and purchasing one course for a range of around $5.99 – $13.99.
Coursera
Coursera is similar to, but more expensive than, Udemy. Depending on your goals, the additional cost may be worth it. Coursera offers lengthy certification courses hosted by respected companies, like Google. For example, Coursera hosts a Google UX Design course with a variety of instructors, all of whom are Google employees. These Googlers walk you through a deep dive on UX Design over an estimated time to complete of 6 months. This course, like many others, include projects that are completed throughout the course and can be displayed in your personal portfolio. That’s an extra expense that is clearly worthwhile, especially if you’re making a career pivot.
Code Editors
Phoenix Code
Phoenix Code is an excellent free code editor if you have a Mac.
Notebook++
Notebook++ has been a favorite free editor of mine and many experts I’ve talked to. I use Notebook++ when I’m on a windows-based (non-Mac) machine.
Leadership & Management
Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review is a classic source to read and learn a broad range of business topics, including leadership.
MIT Sloan
MIT Sloan is a great resource for enhancing your understanding of technical leadership and management.
Books
There’s no shortage of books on these topics. I created a wish list on Amazon specifically for business and leadership books. The Summer 2025 book I’m reading is Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest.
If you aren’t sure where to start, search Radical Respect on Amazon and follow the stream of suggested books for a while. Goodreads is another helpful source for books.
Content by Casey 