But around 2001, the internet heralded a new journalistic phenomenon, blogging. It changed the news front by making regular publishing on any topic (and at any frequency) easy. The problem (in my opinion) is that checking twenty different websites was simply a burden.
One technology that I didn't pay attention to was RSS feeds. I was familiar that blogs and other websites used these feeds to publish. Basically, a feed is a very simple website that computer programs called "Readers" know how to read. This enables you to have a program that will go to twenty different websites for you and aggregate them in one place. I think I had tried two or three previously, maybe around 2006, but I didn't like what I saw.
Earlier this year, Google released their own web based Reader, Google Reader (reader.google.com). Instead of a program that checks RSS feeds whenever you ask it to, Google Reader checks them constantly, 24/7.
Google Reader has become my morning paper. Along with my email, I check Google Reader every single morning without question. I love it because it is so customizable. All you need to do is sign up for an account and click on the RSS feed button on various websites. The button looks like this:
Optional, but very helpful, is downloading the Google Toolbar. Then, clicking on this button in your browser will automatically ask you if you'd like to add it to Google Reader. Then, whenever you go to reader.google.com, you'll be able to read any new posts.
The real advantage is that you no longer have to remember what websites you'd like to visit, and you never visit websites that haven't updated. You can try out websites for just a few days to see if you'd like them, and you can scan the headlines of websites that publish a lot, just like a real newspaper.
I love it. It saves me time when I am surfing the internet, and I never have to repeatedly check a blog that only posts once a week or so. It's gotten me to read websites I might normally find too boring, because I can simply scan the headlines.
Plus, there are several blogs that are good fun. One called Photoshop Disasters has a single picture every day where it is obvious that they were photoshoped (digitally altered). Another funny website I might not check if not for Google Reader is Gullible.info, which posts five or so fake facts every other day. I usually laugh about how believable these "facts" are.
But you can put a sampling of newspapers, like the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, etc. Here's a list of my favorite websites:
http://consumerist.com/ - The Consumerist is made up of stories of horrible customer service, and what we can do to avoid them. They firmly advocate making sure you get what companies promise, even if that means emailing the executives of the company.
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/ - Ikea Hacker has one article every day that shows someone using Ikea products in ways they were not intended, usually to fix some problem or need.
http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/ - Passive-Aggressive Notes features a passive aggressive note every day, usually directed at a roomate or some neighbor. Lots of fun.
http://gothamist.com/ - The Gothamist is my daily news for New York.
http://arstechnica.com/index.ars - Ars Technica doesn't post as much as other technology blogs, but they go into depth in their stories. I usually just browse the headlines, but I read at least one full article a day.
http://www.boingboing.net/ - BoingBoing is probably the biggest blog on the internet. They post on a ton of different topics, from copyright policy to Disney World. In terms of internet celebrities, these bloggers are the biggest.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/ - The Google Blog is the official blog of Google. It is usually how I learn about new Google Products.
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2 comments:
Stellar post; I hadn't explored the wonders of the Google Reader before. I sense an addiction coming on...
It really does rock. If you can get into it, you'll never look back.
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