Thing 15 - RSS Revisited

Well, it's probably been a few weeks since you've set up your Google Reader account. Have you been checking-in to keep up with new posts? If it's been awhile and you're feeling overwhelmed by a large number of unread posts, just take a deep breath, exhale and relax. Keep in mind that subscribing to feeds is only helpful if you take the time to go back and check what's new. When checking Google Reader becomes a habit, you'll really benefit from this tool.

In this Thing, you'll clean up your account -- and over time, you'll learn to scan quickly for interesting content. You don't have to read EVERY new post -- just scan the titles and read what you want, like scanning the newspaper for interesting headlines. Managing your subscriptions will become easier.

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To complete Thing 15 you must:
A. Subscribe to a news feed
B. Subscribe to a tag feed
C. Clean up your subscriptions
D. Reflect on Thing 15 on your blog

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A. News Feed
In addition to blogs, you can subscribe to a growing number of news feeds. Using one of the subscribing methods covered in Thing 4, subscribe to at least one of the news feeds available on the following sites. Each site offers a number of feeds based on news topics. Select the feed you want, and add it to your account -- for most of them, you will need to copy the feed address (the URL) to paste into your Google Reader account using the "Add a subscription" button.

Reuters
US News & World Report
Detroit News
Detroit Free Press
New York Times

B. Tag Feed
You've explored Delicious and learned about tags. Now, you can subscribe to a tag to keep up with all the sites saved under that tag. Watch the video then subscribe to a tag of your choice.



C. Clean Up
Your Google Reader account may be getting cluttered by now. Perhaps there are some blogs you no longer want to read or maybe you need to reorganize your folders. Take some time to do some "RSS housekeeping" now. The "Manage subscriptions" link under your list of Google Reader subscriptions is a good tool to use for this job.

D. Reflect - Blog Prompts for Thing 15
Is RSS becoming easier to understand? Do you recognize new benefits of using this tool? Do you remember to check your feeds regularly? Has it become a habit (or obsession!) yet?