You've heard of RSS? You've seen those small funny tags on websites? You've heard co-workers and acquaintances swear by it, but still have no idea what RSS is? In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web. Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit everyday (or would like to!). It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn't it? Read more about RSS here or see this RSS in Plain English Video
Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time without being bombarded with advertising, without having to search for new information on the page you'd already seen or read before, and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually. Would that be valuable to you? Well, it's available now through a newsreader (sometimes called a feedreader, or an aggregator) and RSS. This activity focuses on learning about RSS news feeds and what free tools you can use to do this.
#15 RSS
Create a free "RSS aggregator" account using Google Reader. Tutorials include: Google Reader Tour, video tutorial #1 or #2. Create a post in your blog about this exercise. Don't know what to blog about? Think about these questions: What do you like about RSS and newsreaders? How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your school or personal life?
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