Oh, and hello to you too, classmates. This post is primarily designed for your benefit. Anyway:
On your right, we currently have eight blogs listed on the blogroll that all of us are more or less supposed to keep up on. As Dr. Reyman mentioned in class yesterday, some are updated more often than others. And while you can certainly click on each link individually and check to see if any new content exists, there is an easier, more efficient way to keep up with the blogs.
Consider using Google Reader or one of the many other feed readers (aka aggregators) avaliable--for free--on the Internet. The reason I mention Google Reader is because you all automatically have the initial step of getting a Google account taken care of (it's the same one you use to login to Blogger). When you're logged in, just click the above link. Or this one.
Essentially, an aggregator allows you to read multiple blogs from one location. What you do is set up "subscriptions" to your favorite sites and content is delivered to you. Think of it like a Tivo for your Internet. Here's what mine looks like (click the photo for a bigger/clearer image):
You'll notice there's a list of blogs on the left (divided into folders by subject) and the content of said blog posts on the right. It will also harness the scarily infinite power of Google Search to make everything you have delivered to you completely searchable. So later this semester when it's time to nail down an object for rhetorical analysis but can't remember what blog you read X thing on nor when you read it, just type it in.
Sorry this was so long. I'd be happy to help anyone set this up in case I haven't been clear about something.
- John
ps - The Future of Ideas is now free. It's written by Lawrence Lessig, whose Free Culture we will be reading in this course. That is also available free of charge here (for those of you who like saving a few bucks and/or enjoy reading on computers). It's completely legal, too. I promise.
4 comments:
Another tool I like using to keep all my feeds together is a dashboard application like Netvibes. I've found it to be more customizable than iGoogle, and you can add different widgits to keep things interesting, such as your del.icio.us bookmarks, email accounts, etc. Plus, because it's web based, you can login anywhere. Just my 2 cents worth.
If you'd rather not let the man at Google (or anywhere else) know what you're reading, but still want this functionality, check out one of the non-web-based RSS/feed readers.
I actually use Outlook 2007 for work-related & news things and Google Reader for school & personal stuff.
If you don't want to pay anything, there are plenty of freeware and open-source alternatives.
Anyway.
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