Week 4 / Thing 8: RSS

I had already set up a Google Reader account last year and promptly forgot all about it. So when I went back, I had hundreds of unread posts. I guess I'm showing my digital immigrant status again when I question how I would use an RSS reader. I only visit a few blogs regularly and have them linked in my bookmarks bar for easy access. I can see the benefit of having a place to view several blogs at once and see what's new. However, by only viewing them one at a time, I can control my time better. If I'm looking for new titles to add to the collection, I go to Teri Lesesne's Goddess of YA Lit blog and input her recommendations right into Follett. If I'm looking for ideas for advocacy, Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk is usually great. If I want to push myself to try new things, I go to Joyce Valenza (and usually get totally overwhelmed). Google reader shows me all the new posts from the sites I've chosen which can lure me away from my purpose, and I'm easily lured. I do best with one subject or topic at a time, in fact I often get off track just reading one person's blog (ie Joyce V or Doug J). So for my personal life, I'd best stick to my system or I won't have a life.

I'm also trying to think about how I would use RSS at school, and I'm still coming up short. I'm looking forward to reading what the rest of the participants think.

RSS readers sort of feel like LM_NET. I have to have those come to me in digest form, and they go into a separate folder instead of being intermingled in my e-mail. Then when I have time, I go browse them & save good ideas.