If you're anything like me, being in college means you're busy. Between school work, procrastinating said school work, extracurriculars, sleeping and Netflix (the antidotes--combined with coffee--that give us the power to go on), and attempting to have a social life, some things tend to fall by the wayside. One such example is keeping up with the news. Back in high school, and even when I'm home now, I would watch the local news but mostly just to check the traffic report and the weather so I knew what to wear. Besides that, the primary source for news for myself and many of my peers is the Internet and through social media where it's hard to tell what's true or false and there's so much out there it's often hard to know where to start, not to mention the bias associated with many news outlets. Here we are trying to get ready for the real world and yet most of us can't keep up with what's happening in it.
Enter: theSkimm.
I discovered (and promptly subscribed to) theSkimm two years ago during the second half of my senior year of high school and have been a devoted Skimm'r ever since. Basically, theSkimm is a Monday through Friday (free) email newsletter subscription that gives you the meat and potatoes of the top news stories--whether they be world news, politics, business, pop culture, or anything in-between--in a broken-down, easy to understand, and even funny way (seriously, just look at their Instagram). theSkimm is unbiased and offers an objective look at the news which is hard to get from even the biggest and most established news outlets in today's world. They offer comprehensive "Skimm Guides" for big and complex issues and recently even did profiles on many of the presidential candidates on both sides. Crunchbase put it this way: "theSkimm is the daily newsletter that simplifies the headlines for the educated professional who knows enough to know she needs more. They do the reading for you and explain it with fresh editorial content, breaking down what you need to know to start the conversation." theSkimm's target audience is busy millennials, especially women, but is written in a way it can be understood and enjoyed by virtually anyone. Each section of theSkimm, sent out at 6AM every weekday morning, is 150 words or less; it's short, sweet, and to the point.
Their target audience are women and it makes sense considering theSkimm was founded by two busy, young professionals who originally met while studying abroad and reconnected a few years later while they were both working as producers for NBC News. After mutually realizing that reading the news can be both time consuming and a bit of a bore or chore for those who aren't particularly interested in it, co-founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg took a leap of faith and quit their jobs to focus on creating theSkimm. Since its launch in the summer of 2012, theSkimm has over 15 full-time employees, more than a million subscribers and over 6,000 Skimm'bassadors like myself (aka subscribers who are passionate about theSkimm and help spread the word and gain new Skimm'rs). Notable Skimm'rs include but certainly aren't limited to Reese Witherspoon, Amy Schumer, Olivia Benson Mariska Hargitay, Hoda Kotb, Jessica Biel, Shonda Rhimes, Reba McEntire, DJ Tanner Candace Cameron Bure, Maria Bartiromo, and even Oprah! Come on, if Oprah's doing it shouldn't we all be doing it?
theSkimm makes it easy to stay up to date on current events. It's become an integral part of my morning routine; like so many others, the first thing I do after opening my eyes (and subsequently hitting snooze between one and five times) is check my phone and the first thing I do when I check my phone is check theSkimm. Last semester in one of my business classes my professor asked a business/econ-related question about current events and not only was I the only person in my class who knew the answer but I only knew it because I had read it in theSkimm that morning. It's fun and easy to read and it can help you impress your professors...what more could you want?
theSkimm is taking another great leap forward; at the time I'm writing this, it's still top-secret and won't be announced for another three days. As a Skimm'bassador and now a part of the Skimm Squad for this roll out, I've been informed about this next step before the general public (so yeah, I'm kind of a VIP, it's no big deal). On April 19, 2016, theSkimm will be launching it's iPhone app which will bring your news to you on a new and easy to access platform.
Do yourself a favor and subscribe and/or download the app now! It's quick and easy, just like reading theSkimm, and you'll be so glad you did!
Click here to subscribe. You won't be sorry.
#Skimmlife
