How Do You Stay Cool?

Let’s face it, it's not easy being cool...or staying cool. As youth experts we’re expected to dance in time with youth trends, even though we might not always know how to move to the song that’s playing.

My own personal experiences as a youth consultant, has taught me a lot of universal things about youth culture, but when it comes to keeping myself up to date and relatable to my teens, I rely on a selection of blogs and sites I like to refer to as "the cool kids."

I'd like to share some of my finds with you guys here, but what I really want to know is...

how do you stay cool?

I'd love to hear back from all kinds of youth experts, 

so please leave any comments, links or book suggestions below!

Here are some of my picks:

All things video games, apps, manga, street art, comics and sci-fi

4-Color Rebellion:

http://www.4colorrebellion.com/
Dedicated to the pop culture side of video games-- including fan art, industry news, mods and crafts, retro gaming and humor.


A Little Bit On The Awesome Side:

http://albotas.com/
brown kidd is the king of all things rad. His blog highlights the best in otaku culture, video games, street art, toys, gadgets and TV + film.

That Girl's Site:

http://www.thatgirlssite.com/
A blog dedicated to random cool things like "video games, movies, comics, manga, toys, zombies, and other geeky stuff."

Kotaku:

http://www.kotaku.com/
The freshest gaming news around and constantly updated. Filled with videos, interviews and hilarious commentary.


IHeartCoolStuff:

http://iheartcoolstuff.com/
This whimsical blog is dedicated to the cute and awesome things found in the world of art, paper crafts, video games, vinyl toys, and comics.

Fashion, celebs, movies and television

Polyvore:

http://polyvore.com/
All the hottest fashion trends & styles. Inspired fashionistas compile their favorite pieces into style sheets for the whole world to gleam from.


Street Peeper:
http://streetpeeper.com/
No need to book that flight to Tokyo. You can watch all the freshest street fashion trends developing all over the world right here.

Cool Spotters:
http://coolspotters.com/
Dying to know what kind of sneakers Justin Bieber's wearing? You'll find all your answers at Cool Spotters. Members tag the items celebrities wear, and in turn are searchable by product, brand or celebrity.

JSYK:
http://www.jsyk.com/
AOL's teen site about all the upcoming teen friendly films, shows, video games and apps. More or less sourced from press releases but informative nonetheless.

Gossip Teen:
http://gossipteen.com/
A PG-13 look into the world of teen Hollywood. No real snark or gossip here, just the need to know news.

Music and Viral Videos:

Unruly Media's Top 100 Viral Videos:
http://viralvideochart.unrulymedia.com/?items=100
Find out what all the cool kids are talking about via Unruly Media's Top 100 Viral Videos list.

VEVO:

http://vevo.com/
VEVO is all about music videos. You'll find all the hyped music videos on here, plus all your faves from the past. 



Hype Machine:

http://hypem.com/popular
Hype Machine scans all the music blogs to find out whose a buzz in the music blogosphere.

Digital Content Creation and Social Media:

Smashing Magazine:
http://smashingmagazine.com/
Digital media tutorials and social media news. Great for anyone looking to develop their photoshop/ illustrator skills.

Computer Arts:
http://www.computerarts.co.uk/
Online companion to amazing British digital design magazine. Tutorials, news and interviews with leading digital media artists.

Mashable:
http://mashable.com/
Social media news, and info on all the neatest, newest web apps.