Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMulti-taskers unite: RSS feeds simplify Internet searches and everyday web browsing
By AJ Chavar
Posted: 3/4/08, 11:29 PM EST Section: Feature
Maybe it's because I'm a product of the "Internet generation" or the "iPod generation" or "Gen Y" or the "YouTube generation" or whatever trendy generation that old men on CNN are labeling college students this week, but I can't concentrate on anything.
Whenever I boot up Firefox (if you don't use Firefox, you damn well should, if anyone reading this still uses Internet Explorer you should be aware that you've downloaded 17 viruses, nine pieces of malware and 36 spyware agents since reading this sentence) I always have multiple tabs open. My e-mail, digg.com, a plethora of news Web sites, dinosaur comics, etc. It's worse if I'm in class - then I need two more tabs: one for a game and one for Blackboard in case my professor walks by me.
The point is this: the Internet and Web sites aren't meant to be viewed one at a time or used linearly. When you click on the link in an article, for example, you don't stop reading and switch to a new link. You read a quick blurb and switch, or wait till you're done, or open in a new tab, window or whatever.
When I read online, I speed read. I jump around stories, click through my different open tabs and look for quick bites of info. Granted, I'll read the occasional 5,000 word story online, and I'll spend up to an hour on certain sites when I'm in the mood.
But during the day, when I'm busy, I don't do that, which is why I love RSS feeds.
Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, is probably something you're familiar with, even if you don't know how it works. It's the same technology that lets iTunes know when a new podcast is available, the same as what tells your Yahoo! or Google homepage to update with new info as soon as it's posted.
The great thing about RSS is that it's a flexible format, you can receive updates via a RSS reader, a Web site like My Yahoo! or iGoogle, a widget or gadget in OS X or Vista, embedded on a Web site, or even through e-mail.
RSS feeds generally give you a short snippet of a story or blog post, but can give more. Some feeds supply embedded videos, full posts, photos and more.
Whenever I boot up Firefox (if you don't use Firefox, you damn well should, if anyone reading this still uses Internet Explorer you should be aware that you've downloaded 17 viruses, nine pieces of malware and 36 spyware agents since reading this sentence) I always have multiple tabs open. My e-mail, digg.com, a plethora of news Web sites, dinosaur comics, etc. It's worse if I'm in class - then I need two more tabs: one for a game and one for Blackboard in case my professor walks by me.
The point is this: the Internet and Web sites aren't meant to be viewed one at a time or used linearly. When you click on the link in an article, for example, you don't stop reading and switch to a new link. You read a quick blurb and switch, or wait till you're done, or open in a new tab, window or whatever.
When I read online, I speed read. I jump around stories, click through my different open tabs and look for quick bites of info. Granted, I'll read the occasional 5,000 word story online, and I'll spend up to an hour on certain sites when I'm in the mood.
But during the day, when I'm busy, I don't do that, which is why I love RSS feeds.
Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, is probably something you're familiar with, even if you don't know how it works. It's the same technology that lets iTunes know when a new podcast is available, the same as what tells your Yahoo! or Google homepage to update with new info as soon as it's posted.
The great thing about RSS is that it's a flexible format, you can receive updates via a RSS reader, a Web site like My Yahoo! or iGoogle, a widget or gadget in OS X or Vista, embedded on a Web site, or even through e-mail.
RSS feeds generally give you a short snippet of a story or blog post, but can give more. Some feeds supply embedded videos, full posts, photos and more.
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