i mean the above in a good way. This isn't a happy post, though, because I have come here to a weblog entry page to chastise everyone who is not currently utilizing the amazing, efficient tool that is RSS. I don't do this very often, but I am going to try to convince you. Yes, you!
[Really quickly, before I get any further, RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" (though there are other variations, "Rich Site Summary," "Rockin' Sweet Sites," and whatnot? This could go for a while) and is the reason for those small orange buttons you see in the URL bar of your Firefox, on the right, next to the star. See it? It's there to help you. We're all here to help you. Anyways, getting a "feed" from your favorite websites near and far will "syndicate" all of the latest items into one organized page by read and unread posts.]
Really Good Reason Number 1: The combo of time and organization. There are only so many hours in a day to organize bookmarks, right? And how often have you gone to Google to find that one blog you read that one time ... or that ... thing ... what was it? RSS eliminates the physical need to navigate to a site to see if it's been updated, or check out the latest content. It also is easier to skim over titles and feel comfortable you're not missing anything important!**
Really Good Reason Number 2: It's incredibly easy to use. Seriously. Do you have a Gmail account already? If so, just go to http://www.google.com/reader. It's already there. If we're friends, you probably can already see my shared items. And it's FREE. Completely free! As free as Google!***
Really Good Reason Number 3: Information sharing is on your timetable. Unlike sharing an item in Facebook or on Twitter, an item shared between friends in Google Reader will remain unread for as long as you want it to. There's no losing track of it. (And, just like emails, it's perfectly easy to "mark all read" for when it all gets too overwhelming.) That long article about evolution on Facebook that you would have read but didn't have the time? It's still waiting for you in your RSS feed.
Really Good Reason Number 4: Self-promotion. Sometimes those little small-time blogs have a rough go of it all; getting off the ground, getting noticed. By using Google Reader specifically, it's a great way to introduce your Gchat friends to things they might like, that you already like. Or maybe your own blog got lost in the shuffle, people haven't yet caught on to subscribing ... but share that favorite post, and maybe it will take off!
Really Good Reason Number 5: You can "Like" things just like Facebook, and find others who share your interests and your passion for reading, you know, actual articles, instead of just videos of cute kittens. Don't be afraid, though! There are plenty of videos of cute kittens!
Really Good Reason Number 6: Google Reader is great for sneakily keeping track of sites that you don't want to visit in person. You know ... Twitter accounts that you don't want to formally "follow" but you can't stay away from. I feel like a horrible person letting you in on that secret, but it's true. Okay?! Stalking! There! I said it!
Finally, Really Good Reason Number 7: We can all be friends.
My shared items: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/megalope
My full profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/megalope?hl=en
If any of the above has intrigued you, there's a fabulous article here that inspired me to write this post. Please click here and read. Go RSS! Go!
*Yes, there are several other different readers available, but I and most of my friends are on Google Reader and there's nothing you or your stupid friends can do about it.
**So many sites have RSS, I can't even describe them all. Are you friends with people on Flickr or Twitter just so you can be updated on your friends' posts? Or any other sites for that matter? All Flickr/Twitter streams have their own RSS feeds (including people's favorite tweets! And tons of other combinations! Just look for the orange button!) which is what makes all of this so damn simple and great.
***Along the lines of easy-to-use, I highly recommend the Firefox add-on Better GReader. Get it here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6424. Just trust me, you'll like it.
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