RSS feeds

I'm an avid reader of book and library-related blogs. In fact, I spend my mornings poring over roughly twenty blogs and message boards trying to keep up with my favorite reviewers and book news sources. I've heard of RSS feeds but never explored them until this project; I figured that my routine of checking each site one by one worked perfectly well. However, setting up an RSS feed has completely changed the way I read blogs and the time I spend doing so. I no longer have to check each blog for new posts - they just automatically appear in my RSS feed. It's such a time saver.

I started out creating an account with Bloglines, but found it to be difficult to navigate. This seems to be the theme of this blog - moving to a different technology site when the first is frustrating. Thankfully, there are numerous options for each type of online technology and the benefit of the 23 Things Project is finding the right fit for my needs. The Help page on Bloglines was nowhere to be found and I just couldn't figure out how to set up a simple feed; instead I kept creating new untitled pages. My patience wore thin and quickly abandoned Bloglines for Google Reader. I already have a Gmail account so switching to Google made much more sense. Google Reader is extremely easy to use. Directions were offered as soon as I signed up; I had an active fee within about 10 minutes of starting my account. The page is organized, uncluttered, and easy to navigate - perfect for novice users.

RSS feeds are great for anyone who wants to centralize their Internet reading in one spot. The only downside so far is not seeing the lovely, personalized mastheads on each blog (but that's not such a huge deal). Libraries woudl benefit from using an RSS feed to keep track of library trends and book reviews, as well as post one about issues that may interest patrons.  Literacy is about more than jusy using the computer; it's about using available technology to make our lives easier and more efficient.