Reviews For Fast Company Magazine

I could easily go on and on about this publication. What I found in this publication was everything I was looking for but could not find. I wanted to know what was happening in the corporate world, it had it. I wanted to know about the future, job markets, e-lancing, and the state of the emerging economy - it was all there. I subscribe to this because I actually read it cover to cover. There hasn't been an article yet that I read and was disappointed in the content. I compare it to Inc. magazine, and yet have to make the comparison honestly. While Inc. tends to have higher profile articles which are written very well, I still skip some of the articles due to a sincere lack of interest. In Fast Company, I'm just out-right impressed. It's like they publish this one just for me.


Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Personal and professional reasons

Fast Company is the ultimate view into successful companies with a focus on the fast moving ones. They point their spotlight on the people in the business world that support and encourage continuing change within their organizations.

The only real complaint I have is that they tend to only present the flowery side of life in the world of business. It could be depressing to read about these great companies if you find yourself working within an old-school world where they don't recognize the value of change and quality leadership. Oh, there's is also way too many full-page ads but I just rip them out the first time through.

On the other hand I think that's part of the appeal of this magazine. They continue to document the proof that there are very successful companies out there that are doing it by focussing on their people and how the feel on a personal level.

This magazine offers a wealth of ideas and stories about human organizations that are making it work. Read each copy from cover to cover.


Recommended:
Yes

I am a struggling businessman (hey, I can hear the chorus go up as I write!). I struggle, like so many of us, to balance the demands of work and 'not-work', that is to say, family, the world, my own ethics, the needs of the planet, my own need for space. You know what I'm on about.

Fast Company seems to understand. Periodically the editorial content or the letters in this beautifully put together mag seem to touch me. It's a business mag like no other, less concerned with the buck, and more concerned with how we live our lives and struggle to achieve balance.

But lest I make it sound like Shirley MacLaine monthly, let me suggest that Fast Company is also pretty pragmatic and generally doesn't give the impression of anal retentivity which might be a danger to such a mag. It often recognises that the best intent in the world also has to be weighed against the day to day dilemmas of real life.

Of course, it's not perfect. The tendency towards long articles means that sometimes it's not a great lightweight browse over coffee. It's just a little more booklike than that, and you have to be in the mood for reading. It's also a little 'unportable' to coin a word. Fat and large format means you notice you're carrying it in your briefcase.

FC is one of the few mags I archive, because I get in moods where I just want to go back over past copies (the FC website is also good for this). For that reason, I reckon I've noticed a drop-off in editorial quality since the mag went monthly. But I'm quibbling. I still think it's the most satisfying mag available for people like me. If there *are* any other people like me :-)

Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Professional Development
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles

One of my roommate bought this magazine because he needed some info to write a report about E-commerce. Since we studied together sometimes, we read the mag together trying to find some useful info and ideas about E-commerce.

We found lots of novel ideas about how to build up a E-commerce site, what those famous web giants are doing, and yeah, the various opportunities for students like us to start our web business. It's really full of information. So, I subscribe this mag. It's really neat for me--I read even the ads. Can't explain why, I just love this mag. My roomies and I are all frequent surfers. Most of time our friends tried to call us, but the lines are always busy. And so I didn't really like Internet mags, because I thought I know almost every site which interests me. However, some web sites Fast Company recommends I didn't even hear about them--luckily, my roomy bought this mag and asked me to read with him. Now I even think about visit those freelancer sites, maybe we can be another Dell. :Q

PS: It's not too expensive though. The price is ok, and after my subscription, I found that they're quite aggressive to invade tha mag market too. You can find some web sites claiming that they will send you one year of Fast Company for free if you join their member(Of course, it's free).


Recommended:
Yes

I have found Fast Company to be a winner almost every time. The variety of editorials on a wide array of topics has pulled me into reading it from cover to cover. Whether your are a business owner or working for someone else, Fast Company can provide insight on subjects that are of interests to both audiences. Ranging from what's hot in the technology world to grass root leaders, the writers are able to steer the material towards the mid-level manager to CEO view point.
I would compare this to INC. on steroids. It also stays away from too much focus on the business owner or "franchise" mentality that INC has been known for.
I have recommended this magazine to several people and find it a good investment for the subscription price


Recommended:
Yes

If job is a big issue, FC is the right magazine!
Besides funny statements I find FC (and few others) of invaluable help to let me stay on tyhe cutting edge.
My reading roster is composed of FastCompany, Wired and RedHerring, then sometimes I also buy Business 2.0 (but I don't like it so much) and The Industry Standard (but it is too expensive as it is weekly).
I live in Italy, not really in the center of the net revolution, and this readings let me stay at the cutting edge.
FC in particular gives me a lot of inspiration on ways to improve my professional behavior and, sometimes, my professional standing.
One of the best suggestions I found in Fc has been how to approach a new job using a 60 days plan: it worked very well and after tne months I almost doubled my wage and switched to an eCommerce task force.
I don't know competitors of FC but I suggest reading it as a complement to more focused business magazines as a way to let your mind always open to new way of doing things.


Recommended:
Yes

Incredible magazine covering business life, change management, and leadership in the New Economy. Every issue has a TON of articles and information.

But it isn't just the magazine itself that is great, the editors and writers are real, and down to earth. Many are mid to late Gen X-ers. Met many, including the two co-founders at FastCompany's RealTime conference in San Diego (Nov. '99). Everywhere you turned the FastCompany writers and editors were mingling, helping to get people oriented, and truly taking interest in the readers. This was all validated by an evening beach party that a majority of the FastCompany crew attended. It's one thing read the magazine, it is quite another to sit on the beach in front of a fire with an open bar. Great people! They believe in their mission, that's why I support it.

.nix


Recommended:
Yes

Fast Company is truly one of the best magazines of any genre out there. It's articles are witty, savy and informative. It's a brand of infotainment that will leave you better off after you are finished reading then before you picked up the magazine which is a rare phenomenon in today's publishing world were most rags drain your brain. Fast company is also huge sometimes over 350 pages long but still if it were between reading a novel and the latest issue of fast company I would choose the latter. The only negative thing I can say about FC is that at times it is too optimistic about entrepeneurs and the new economy but its hard not to get excited about young people who make loads of cash quick or people who make a difference in society. It is business stuff mostly but it reads like the best features in Rolling Stone do: fast yet memorable


Recommended:
Yes

I was first turned on to Fast Company when a professor at my business school started recommending articles to read that were relevant to what we were studying in class

I loved the magazine immediately. The articles are relevant to today's business environment and the opinions are cutting edge and really make me think. Even the advertisements are informative and fun to look at. The copy is to the point and graphically interesting.

I used this magazine in several classes to come up with interesting ideas for class projects. I continued to consult it for ideas about advancing my career now that I've graduated.

I'm also a subscriber to Inc. magazine and find Fast Company to be much more captivating and fun to look at.



Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Professional development
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles

For anyone who is not particularly interested in who bought who for how much money last week (or is interested in more than that) this is the only business book that truly addresses the larger issues. This magazine is about how business operates, particularly when it operates well. It's about why we do the things we do and how to make ones business day more fruitful, both personally and professionally.

When this magazine was first launched, being a reader was akin to possessing a secret handshake. Knowing someone read Fast Company told a lot about how progressive they might be in their thinking and that they were more curious than most.

Now that the publication has garnered a mainstream audience, it is less obviously an indicator of who one is speaking to, but the ideas are being more universally recognized.

Now to the downside -- if one is not in a very progressive, high-tech company, one will not be able to relate as well to many of the companies featured here. Fast Company is making headway in covering a greater variety of industries, but I still find myself wondering where all these great companies are and whether I will need to become a programmer to benefit from the raised consciousness.


Recommended:
Yes

Recommended For: Personal and professional reasons
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles