Customer Reviews

Fast Company (2-year)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

A ground-breaking magazine when it first came out, Fast Company kind of fell apart after the Dot-Com bubble. It was almost like they stopped employing journalists. Now it seems to be finding its way again by focusing on leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity rather just on the latest technology craze (there are blogs for that). This is a worthwhile subscription to have if you are interested in what's happening now and what's next in today's information economy.

Fast Company is a magazine that focuses on recent trends in business and technology from a very socially-conscious point of view. The design and format of the magazine are very appealing, and before I subscribed to it I would regularly browse it at "Borders" or "Barnes and Noble." Since I am a gadget freak, the section on the latest products and tools was always one of my favorites. The magazine tends to focus a lot on the persons behind the headlines, regularly profiling many of the industrial movers and shakers. Oftentimes, however, persons that they choose to profile are of dubious distinction at best, and the articles about them have a very strong puff-piece feel to them. On top of that, the companies seem to be eager to ascertain their socially-conscious bona fides by appearing in a positive light in this magazine, so there is also a strong sense of articles coming across as if written in conjunction with corporate PR machines. Nevertheless, the quality of writing for the most part is pretty high, and there are many interesting and stimulating stories that are worthwhile reads.

When "Business 2.0" stopped being published last year, I was very disappointed since I didn't know of another magazine like it. I think "Fast Company" fits the bill and am excited to find that it's loaded with articles about "the new" in the business world and in the tech sector. The latest issue has a story about the top 50 up-and-coming companies, with Google being number one. What an interesting piece about their corporate culture and some of the people who work there! I hope they keep up the good work and that they don't fall into a black hole as "Business 2.0" did. I like having something I can hold in my hands when I'm reading. I know I can find out a lot of this stuff one way or another on the Web, but when I curl up in bed at night, I like to have a magazine or book in my hands, not a laptop... I am looking forward to the arrival of the next issue!

I really enjoy this publication. It puts marketing and growth strategies within reach of those of us who fall asleep reading other business Mags. I've learned a ton and have been able to bring some of what I've learned to my job. It also helps consumers understand the marketing forces being put into play to capture their loyalty and their dollar.

along with WIRED, i feel that Fast Company is one the few maverick publications left in this merger and recession world. Even if you don't agree with the articles or predictions, at least every one is well-thought out and INTERESTING.

I started reading Fast Company at a friends house and I was sold. The magazine focuses on the new trends that are going on and promise to shape the next two to five years. Here's a sample:

There's a mechanic in Kansas (?) who tweaks Hummers to get over 75 mpg AND ramps up their horse power. The crazy part? Most of the parts he uses is off the shelf and Detroit could be doing it today.

There is a video game control that should be out by the end of 2008 that you will wear on your head and it will read your brain patterns to determine if you go left or right.

IBM has taken their top mathematicians out of the think tank and added them to their consulting services. The mathematicians get real world applications from the source, the consultants get more ideas.

I could go on. If nothing else, it's fun to read about where things are headed. It also provides great discussion starters for parties.

Reading this magazine is like riding a roller coaster -- fast and furious. You're anxious opening a new issue, engaged throughout, and breathless when it's over. It's packed with ideas and inspiration, especially for entrepreneurs and anyone running a growing company. Not for the faint-of-heart.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

"Fast Company" provides the reader with anecdotal stories of entrepreneurs in high tech industries. I found the stories to be of some interest, but not directly helpful to someone outside of industries involving cutting edge electronic technologies. I think that it would be attractive to a limited audience, but not to the general reader.

I love reading Fast Company. Their perspectives are always refreshing. The insights are cutting edge. It has given me a much wider perspective on things. Whenever I read Fast Company, I always have a notepad next to me- to write down all the ideas that just pop up!

I have tried reading this magazine a number of times - in each instance based on an article highlighted on the cover. Unfortunately, in each case I found the article to be too short, superficial, and vacuous. The magazine is just a waste of time and paper.