I discovered RSS feeds a few weeks ago and I just can't get enough of them, so naturally I must share.
See Six Apart's About Feeds page for the low down on just exactly what a feed is, what tools you need to read one, and how to subscribe to one. I chose to link to Six Apart's page on this subject because 1) they make TypePad, the tool that powers my blog and with which I am quite happy, and 2) they provide all the basic information in an manner that is easy to follow and not too long. They do, of course, shamelessly plug their blogging tools in the "Publishing a Feed" section, but it is short and you can skip it now that you have been warned.
If you read more than one blog or news source, using a feed reader (aka news aggregator) is the way to go. A feed reader brings the information to you, rather than you having to go out and get it. I use Mozilla's Firefox Browser, which supports an integrated RSS reader, as described in my All Hail Tabbed Browsing post.
In Firefox, I simply click on the reader's refresh button to pull in any new postings since my last refresh. Post titles list in a small window on the left, while full posts show in the browser window on the right.
My pet peeve is when only an excerpt of the post shows in the browser and I have to click through to the blog site to read the full post. This defeats the whole purpose of having a feed reader. Bring the content to me and lay it at my feet, don't make me go get it! But since the feed owner makes that decision, whether to send full posts or merely excerpts, I just pull up my big girl panties and move on.
So tell me, how do you get your news and keep up with your favorite blogs?
