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@@ -491,3 +491,43 @@ Check out the following links to get a better idea of what to expect:
 ### Source(s) and further reading
 
 * [kilimchoi/engineering-blogs](https://github.com/kilimchoi/engineering-blogs)
+
+## System design topics: start here
+
+New to system design?
+
+First, you'll need a basic understanding of common principles, learning about what they are, how they are used, and their pros and cons.
+
+### Step 1: Review the scalability video lecture
+
+[Scalability Lecture at Harvard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W9F__D3oY4)
+
+* Topics covered:
+    * Vertical scaling
+    * Horizontal scaling
+    * Caching
+    * Load balancing
+    * Database replication
+    * Database partitioning
+
+### Step 2: Review the scalability article
+
+[Scalability](http://www.lecloud.net/tagged/scalability)
+
+* Topics covered:
+    * [Clones](http://www.lecloud.net/post/7295452622/scalability-for-dummies-part-1-clones)
+    * [Databases](http://www.lecloud.net/post/7994751381/scalability-for-dummies-part-2-database)
+    * [Caches](http://www.lecloud.net/post/9246290032/scalability-for-dummies-part-3-cache)
+    * [Asynchronism](http://www.lecloud.net/post/9699762917/scalability-for-dummies-part-4-asynchronism)
+
+### Next steps
+
+Next, we'll look at high-level trade-offs:
+
+* **Performance** vs **scalability**
+* **Latency** vs **throughput**
+* **Availability** vs **consistency**
+
+Keep in mind that **everything is a trade-off**.
+
+Then we'll dive into more specific topics such as DNS, CDNs, and load balancers.