Co-operative News: Read all about it

Earlier this week, we asked the members on our Facebook Page to name their top sources for co-operative news and discussions. Our Facebook community responded with a variety of different answers and, without further ado, here are the results.

A number of co-operative news websites were featured in the comments. The Co-operative News, Third Sector Magazine, Social Enterprise magazine, Co-operatives South West and The Guardian were all referenced as leading sources for news relating to the co-operative movement. We would recommend all five for anyone interested in keeping up –to-date with the latest news from co-operatives across the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, John Atherton remarked that he had a Google Alert set up for a number of co-operative related phrases (A Google Alert sends a message to your email when a specific phrase is found on the internet). As a result, John is informed when a news story is posted on the internet which features the words 'worker co-op' and 'employee ownership'. You can find more about Google Alerts, and maybe set up your own, here.

Naturally, a number of users referenced co-operative organisations as a way to find information. Co-operatives UK, the Society for Co-op Studies and, in America, the National Co-operative Business Association were all mentioned.

We're strong advocates of using social media to educate users about our work and the co-operative movement in general. Naturally, many of our Facebook fans also use online channels like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to comment on co-operative news and views. All three social networks were mentioned in the comments.

Meanwhile, the internet discussion forum Co-op Net was also included the conversation. For those keen to explore more online discussion boards, The Hive is The Co-operative's dedicated forum for related stories and news.

In between all the tweeting and Facebooking, some of us still find time for conversations with friends and acquaintances. A number of commenters said that they picked up their co-operative news from chats and talks; the art of conversation isn't quite gone just yet.