Exploring RSS

Hello, Social technologies has changed our lives, almost every year there is a new technology that get us addicted. There is enough written about technologies downside that can fill the Albert hall. But what about the good side of it?. Could social technologies really be helpful for us?. How can we use it in a way to improve our daily lives?. This week I will be experimenting RSS which is a new social technology for me. Then,  I will discuss what benefits it might provide to us as students.

What is RSS?

RSS is a short for Rich Site Summary ( Peckham, 2013). Basically, it is a reverse method to browse the internet. This is because RSS brings to you all updates and new uploads made by your favourite websites ,and present it in one page. Below, watch CommonCraft (2007) video explains this technology further.

To be able to use RSS we are going to need a RSS reader. There are 5 different type of readers: web-based Feed Readers ,desktop Feed Readers, browser Built-In Feed Readers, email-Based Feed Readers and mobile Feed Readers (Boswell, n.g ).

Today I am going to experiment  NetNewsWire and Feedly.

Lets, the journey begin:

The first RSS reader is :

NetNewsWire it is a desktop Feed Readers designed for Mac users. They also have created an iPhone app, both of these applications are free and can be downloaded  from their website http://netnewswireapp.com/ , or from Apple store.

Functionalities :

• You can add a site by entering the site URL, also the program suggests a number of popular sites.

• Allows you to customise the background colour and the text font.

• Very sleek design simple and minimum , takes you away from online adds pop-ups and  complicated layout.It looks very similar to apple mail client. It also has a small application shortcut that informs you with latest updates "Unread posts".

• Easy and fast navigation using the arrow key and spacebar .

The second RSS reader is :

Feedly it is a web-based feed reader. It is free and quick to start with all you have to do is type www.feedly.com ( or via google search of course!) ,Using Feedly is as simple as clicking into Facebook. They also created apps for  iOS, Android and Kindle  for free download. Moreover, it is now can be used as a browser built-in feed reader.

Feedly comes with many features designed to provide fast searching, reading and sharing. However, you can upgrade to even more useful functions with relatively low cost ( 5$/month).

Functionalities :

• To start up navigating through the website you do not need to register. (Yessss! I really dislike when websites force me to register).

• You can subscribe to your favourite site by searching the title, category or paste the site url.
• You can customise the view options, making it simple by using Titles Only that views the title organised in categories, Magazine which is my favourite that shows pictures and finally Card that it is helpful if you have many categories.

• Registration options are wide and quick away from boring forms.

How RSS would benefit me as a student ?

1. Enhances research quality.

Usually whenever I search a topic, my screen end up looking like this..

Because of that I get very frustrated and give up on the whole research. Moreover, most of the results do not contribute to my research or provide unreliable information. If I used RSS, I could be following number of credible websites related to my major. Thus, this reduces the research time, and keeps me organised away from frustrating junk websites.

2. Reduces “Break Time”.

I have this thing if I am studying, I usually go for 30 minute break session just to refresh my mind and watch some Youtubers or read blogs.The sessions usually extend to hours because I have a long list of sites and there is not always a new post. Therefore, I keep spinning in circles ( forever -_-!) hoping there is a new post. However, with RSS I can have better control on my time because it easily shows the updates.  

3. Helps me stay on top of IT trends.

IT is an ever changing world. Every year there are some technologies raise in and other fail. As an IT student RSS can keep me up to date with the latest topics in my major. It is awesome cause I usually have no time to search these topics but RSS would keep me informed. I am planning to create an IT category in my Feedly reader and add trustful IT bloggers and leaders. (Any suggestions?)

Also, this might be even more useful for postgraduate students as they can follow people who are in their same specialisation and together they can improve their finding.

4. Improves group work productivity.

This is because RSS provides the latest information about the team’s progress. So, I can keep in touch with my group and see their updates ether on my phone, tablet or laptop as there are numerous reader options.

Also, it is helpful in units such INB346 that requires effective class collaborations. With RSS I can add my classmates' blogs that I enjoy reading, without the need to scroll up in down at Google+ page.

Side Note :

I found a lot of bloggers complaining about RSS that it is a waste of time. Personally, I believe it is just a tool that can be used for the good and bad. To get the most of RSS, we need to chose wisely the sites we follow. Also, it is not compulsory to read every single update, there is a "Mark All Read" button for a reason and lets not forget that we use RSS for the first place to save our time.

Guys, tell me your thought about RSS do you think it actually increase our productivity or not really ?

To sum up, exploring RSS was an awesome experience for me. It is what I need to reduce my crazy internet addiction and probably will help me be more productive with my time. I am happy that I get to explore more than one reader ,so now I know what functionalities and options is there to help. I decided to add RSS to my blog and I recommend you guys do the same.

So, I would add you and get to see all your update and comment on your blog.

Leave me a comment below tell me what other technologies would be beneficial for an internet addict (such yours truly “_”) that happened to be a student and need to use every second properly ?.

Also, if you used RSS before, tell me what reader do you use and what you like about it?

Thank you for passing by xo

References:

Boswell, W.(n.d.).Five Different Types of Feed Readers [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://websearch.about.com/od/rssfeedsreaders/a/feed-readers.htm

Common Craft. (2007, Apr 23). Video: RSS in Plain English [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Peckham, M. (2013, July 1). RIP Google Reader, Hello Four Best RSS-Reader Replacements[Web log post]. Retrieved from http://techland.time.com/2013/07/01/r-i-p-google-reader-hello-four-best-rss-reader-replacements/