Thing #9 Explore RSS Feeds

Now that you have a newsreader (your Google Reader account), you can begin adding other newsfeeds that interest you.

• Adding Feeds:
  
  
  
  • On the web: Look for RSS Feed icons (). Clicking makes it easy to subscribe to updates to that site.
  
  
  • You can also search by keyword on Google Reader. Use this to search by your interest.
  
  
  • You can also just type in the URL of a blog you like. Try typing http://saplchchat.blogspot.com into the "Add Feed" or "Subscribe" area - that's the blog that the SAPL Children's team uses to share ideas.
    

• Other Search tools that can help you find feeds:
  
  
  
  • Topix.net - This search tool allows you to locate recent newsfeed items based upon keyword or phrase searching. The tool focuses specifically on news and media outlet RSS feeds for information, not weblogs.
  
  
  • Syndic8.com - Syndic8 is an open directory of RSS feeds that contains thousands of RSS feeds that users have submitted.
  
  
  • Technorati - Technorati Blog Search can help you find RSS feeds for topic-specific blogs you may be interested in.
    

• Some feeds the SAPL Learns team recommends:
  
  
  
  • Technology tips from the iLibrarian. http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/feed/
    
  
  
  • Swiss Army Librarian blogs about Reference: http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/
    
  
  
  • DailyLit sends you books, piece by piece, via RSS daily: http://dailylit.com (Didi's over halfway through with Anna Karenina)
    
  
  
  • Check out Wowbrary's RSS Feeds here: http://www.wowbrary.org/rsslinks.aspx?l=352. Get an RSS feed of the newest items added to SAPL's catalog.
  
  
  • Austin Public Library has its own official blog. Check it out at: http://austinpubliclibraryblog.blogspot.com/
  
  
  • Did you know that our new Evanced calendar supports RSS? Check out the patron-view of the calendar, do any search (or just view the whole calendar), and click on that orange RSS button().
  
  

Discovery Excercise:

1. Explore some of the search tools noted above that can help you locate some news feeds.
   


2. Create a blog post about your experience. Here some questions to think about:
   

• Do you think you'd regularly use RSS to keep up with personal or professional blogs? Why or Why not?

• Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?


• What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels? Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?


• What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

Beware: RSS Feeds can easily become too much to keep up with, obviously defeating their original purpose. Do not succumb to dreaded "information overload".