An RSS system of writers and subscribers is similar to e-mail, but improves on e-mail in these ways:
- the writer does not have to know ahead of time who will want/need to read his message
- the reader is not expected to read every message and engage the writer, failure to do so possibly resulting in guilt or hurt feelings or both
- being open to the public, an RSS feed has the potential to create or galvanize a 'community' of interested people
My experience has been an improved sense of communication with a wider range of my family than ever before. That's a particular boon for me, given my geography. When I started it was with the intent just to keep a "journal". Now it has transformed into something far richer. "If you build it they will come" comes to mind. However, I don't think it's just about geography either. It's an empowering technology. Web-publishing made as easy as brushing your teeth. It can't replace e-mail, but should replace e-mail distribution lists.
How to Use RSS
You may not realize it, but Will's blog is already served as an RSS feed. Go to bloglines and add this URL, and you'll see what I mean. Blogger.com automatically publishes the atom.xml (atom is an RSS format backed by Google, who owns blogger.com) file for every blog they host.
If you're reluctant to sign up with a hosting service, or use an online feed service, you can get the same functions done on your own hardware. Lief's blog demonstrates that. Also, the next generation of Microsoft products will have RSS features riddled throughout them. Outlook will probably have a perfectly good aggregator. Google has just released an aggregator, which is still in beta and perhaps a little more glitchy than their normal products, but has the expected Google flair.
4 comments :
Thanks for the update, I guess I have to call for details.
Mom
Tony already uses an aggregator for Outlook, although I think it is a third party plug-in.
Mine is built right into Safari (my Macintosh web-browser)
Firefox which is, I think almost without question, the BEST browser out there also has a plug-in for it that allows you to aggregate RSS feeds. The one for the MAC just isn't quite slick enough for me to want to move away from Safari. On PC's though? Toot sweet!
Thanks Jamey for explaining all of this. I have been wanting to but haven't taken the time.
BTW, my solution requires space on an external server and quite a bit of savvy that I don't even possess. I am still running with scissors here.
Lief
Mom,
I'm coming to town Wed-Fri this week. I'd be happy to show you how to set up an aggregator page.
No comment. You said it yourself, "my experience has been an improved SENSE of communication". Interesting. In certain respects, perhaps, but it is a marketplace communication, a socialist forum where privacy is lost, true interaction removed just one more step farther away, for the benefit of the masses. True communication or just a clic away from solitude? Just for your rumination grasshopper, or is it???
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