Thing #2: RSS Feeds and Google reader

Looking for the latest news headlines, or updates from blogs like this one? Need a way to keep up to date with changes to your favorite websites?

RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication”, is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web. RSS allows you to view new content from web sites, blog entries, etc. in one place, without having to visit the individual sites.

Using a single website called a reader, you can “subscribe” to your favorite sites and have the “RSS feeds” -- the new stuff -- sent directly to your reader. Readers are also known as “aggregators”, “news aggregators”, or “feed readers”. For the 23 Things, we will be using Google reader.

To subscribe to the RSS feed from a website or a blog, look for the word “subscribe” or an icon like this:

For a quick (less than 3 minute) explanation of RSS, watch “RSS in Plain English” from CommonCraft here. (Note: this links to Sharepoint and Is only accessible in the library.)

Some browsers already include readers, like the Feeds Tab in Internet Explorer 7 . You can also add RSS feeds to personalized home pages like MyYahoo! or dashboards like netvibes.

Google Reader is a free web-based reader. You are going to use the Gmail user name and password you created in Thing #1 to create an account in Google reader. (If you haven’t done Thing #1 yet, scroll down to see it, or click Thing 1 under Labels on the right.)

Thing #2 Activity: Set up a Google reader Account and Subscribe to this 23 Things Blog


Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Right click here and left click "Open in a New Window"to open Google reader.

2. Sign in to Google reader using your Google Account (the Gmail account email and password from Thing #1).

3. Read the entries on the “Welcome to Google Reader” pane on the right. One includes a brief video tutorial for you to watch. View it for some great tips.

Note:  If you cannot see the "Welcome to Google Reader" panel try pasting this URL into your browser:

https://www.google.com/reader/view/#welcome-page

while you are logged into your Google reader account. The Welcome panel seems to disappear if you click anywhere else on the screen. So you may you may have to paste that address in again if you don't finish reading it.

4. In the Welcome Panel, scroll to the entry called: “That’s It, Time to Start Reading”, in the “Search by Topic”, type library and click Search. A list of library-related feeds will appear.

5. Select at least one of these library-related feeds and add it to your Google reader by clicking:

6. To subscribe to this blog, click the RSS icon under “Subscribe” at right. Click “Add to Google”.

A Google Screen opens. Click “Add to Google Reader”.

7. Click Sign Out in upper right.

8. Sign in to Google reader using your Google Account (the Gmail account email and password from Thing #1). You are now subscribed to our 23 Things Blog.

9.  Send an email to 23things@brev.org with the subject "Google Reader" and tell me at least two RSS feeds you have subscribed to.  One should be this blog!!


Optional Additional Resources:

Click here to improve your Google reader skills by reading “HOW TO: Use Google Reader Like A Rockstar” from Mashable. Google reader help can be found here.

A brief article by Jason B. Jones, “Keeping Up Online: an Intro to RSS”, gives an overview and some best practices for managing and organizing your feeds.