How connected was your school janitor?

When I was young(er - than my 25 years), I measured people's importance by how many keys they had on their key rings. Obviously, the school janitor was a good example of someone well connected - the janitor could get into any door, cabinet, soda machine, etc. with ease. The key theory still rings partially true, in that if you have more keys, you probably have a job, a home, a car, a mailbox, a storage shed - things are going well and you are connected to a certain degree.

Just this morning, as I was updating my LinkedIn contact list, I realized that I have a virtual key ring filled with passwords and usernames from online sites and programs. Does this mean I've reached the pinnacle of success? Maybe. It does mean that I am happily adopting a culture and comfort with networking, publishing and mining info online. I think these things make me a better communicator, more aware of my industry and my world and happily connected to folks I enjoy interacting with on a professional and personal level.

Three sites I connect to daily:
Bloglines.com - the feed system I use to read and organize my blogroll.
LinkedIn.com - great way to connect with coworkers, industry professionals, former contacts and potential employers/employees.
Technorati.com - real-time search engine for what's going on in the blogosphere.

Three blogs I've just added to my bloglines list:
What's Your Brand Mantra - Jennifer Rice's blog featuring "Musings on Branding, Marketing and the Ecology of Business."
The Acerbic Arbiter - My colleague Tom Mentzer's brand-spanking new blog.
Joi Ito's Blog - Joi Ito's "conversation with the living web." He kills two birds with one stone by providing me with my Japanese and tech fixes in one place.

Add these to your key ring.