RSS Feeds

Setting up the RSS feed was really easy: I used Google Reader and followed the very intuitive layout: I clicked "Add a subscription," typed the addresses in, and I was all set. Again, I love how it's cleanly my infomration is organized; I won't have to remember whether or not I visited a site I like on any given day because they're all in one place for me to peruse. I like that I can add notes and share items with others - especially the library sites I'm following, which my classmates or colleagues might like to see. I can also envision how a teacher might share certain entries with her class, or students might also share with the class.

Currently, I am following several of the School Library Journal's blogs, including Adult Books for Teens (not "adult" adult, but rather books written for grownups that teens would like), one about the Internet, and one on great new books for students. I am also following boston.com's news feed, which is tough to keep up with, boston.com's food section, and a blog that I absolutely love called Food Network Humor (http://www.foodnetworkhumor.com/). I'm allowed to have a little fluff!

I can see how, like Twitter, RSS feeds can keep professionals up to date on the latest their colleagues are writing about. I particularly enjoy seeing the School Library Journal feed - especially the entries about technology and new books. As I mentioned in the Discussion board, I am not sure how practical or useful these feeds are in terms of direct student interaction; in other words, I am not sure about productive, intelligent ways to use RSS feeds in student research projects, unless their research has to do with blogging or other forms of social media. As I also mentioned, I would show students how to set these up for their personal use, like keeping track of the latest sports or celebrity blogs, or whatever they enjoy.

Finally, my husband brought up a good point when I attempted to put my new RSS feed knowledge to use and set one up for the 15 or so sites he likes to read on a daily basis: he enjoys the routine of going through his sites and reading the articles. He likes the visual set-up of each site, and the act of going through them. When he saw my RSS feed he felt like it would take away some of the relaxation he feels from this browsing routine, with everything in one place and looking fairly similar. I wonder if other people feel that way too - I can see his point. So I guess they're perhaps most helpful for people who need and want to look at large amount of materials on a daily basis to stay updated, and perhaps not the average reader who likes browsing around a bit for fun.

I'm still glad I know how to set one up now...though I don't know how much I'll use it. Between reading tweets from colleagues in the field, using delicious to remember any sites I may forget, and looking at the blogs I like, I guess I don't feel overwhelmed by manually going through sites as opposed to looking at the latest feed on the reader. That could easily change though as demands on my personal and professional time increase, however.