The internet is getting bigger. And if you spend enough time on it like me, you'll soon come to realize that it can get pretty hard to keep track of all your favorite content.
So ask yourself 2 questions:
1. Do you visit a lot of content-driven sites like blogs and news sites? 2. Do you want to get updates from these sites, without wasting time?
If you answered "Yes" to both these questions, then RSS is for you!
Most sites you visit have something in common: A little orange button used to "subscribe" to the site's blog/news feed...
For some new internet browsers (like Firefox 2.0), you can see the RSS icon right in the URL field...
These orange buttons let you know that you can subscribe to the site's content! Click on it and the next screen you see will be something like this...
Some of the website's content/blog posts will be listed below the above screenshot. Click on the drop down and select the feed reader of choice and click on "Subscribe Now."
What feed reader you use is up to you. Most people use something like Google Reader...
I use Google Reader for work, but for personal use, I use iGoogle.com...formerly known as Personalized Google Homepage. I guess Google figured out that "iGoogle" rolls off the tongue a bit easier than "Personilized Google Homepage." The reason I like iGoogle is because I can easily display my Gmail account, as well as Google Calendar, add custom modules, group different types of feeds in tabs, and even get a feed from Google Reader itself. It's my ultimate all-in-one feed reader...
You can set up your own iGoogle page by clicking on the link at the upper right of www.google.com.
If you're still confused, watch this video. It does a better job at explaining RSS...
So there you have it. If you haven't tried out RSS, you really should consider it. Best of all, these feed readers are free.
And as long as you're trying out new things, have you come across Xanga Dash yet? Instead of clicking on "Subscriptions" to see who's updated in past week/day/hour/minute, Dash will let you know with a glowing "Subs(new)" tab on the left. The page autorefreshes on a regular basis so it always lets you know of new content. Once you click on it to read the new subsciption posts, it greys out...and will light up again once someone makes a new post. Plus it shows you when/where you get new comments, as well as other relevant info...
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(and am i a bigger nerd for not only commenting how great a post it is, but also linking to this post from my xanga?)