RSS and Mobility - Laptop
Originally posted on 7/22/2005
One of the most beneficial technologies/applications I have found in the Occasionally Connected world has been RSS and RSS readers.
RSS (really simple syndication) is a great way to distribute content. Users subscribe to a feed and then update that content as they choose. All users need is a computer and a RSS reader or news aggregator. There are plenty of free aggregators out there, but not all of them are built to cache the data for off-line use. Yahoo and Bloglines both allow you to read RSS feeds using your browser, but they do not save the content so you can view it without an Internet connection. You can find a partial list of RSS readers here. Personally, I use Net NewsWire for Apple OS X.
So how does this work? For our example, we will use Reuters. On their Website, Reuters offers a list of RSS feeds. I can pick and choose which content I want update by clicking on the "XML" button. [RSS is built on XML standards and the initials are often interchanged.] This should launch your RSS reader and prompt you to add the feed. Then you are done.
Several sites will have an RSS section that will allow you to subscribe to feeds, and most news readers offer a directory. Finding content is not difficult.
Occasionally Connected Use
Each morning before I leave the house, I start-up my laptop and my RSS reader. Using the Refresh Now button, the 55 feeds I have selected are checked for updates and downloaded in less than 30 seconds. I close my laptop and leave for work. Once on the train, I then read through each of the feeds. Different sites have adopted different strategies when it comes to what is included in a feed. Smaller sites and most Weblogs provide all of their content in the RSS feed. Larger media sites generally provide the title of each story and the first few lines of text. From the synopsis, you can navigate to their Web page to read the entire article. Though I am disconnected I can determine from the briefs whether or not I want to read the rest of the article and flag it to be read the next time I have a connection.
By the time I get to the office, I have read/scanned the sites I like to check daily for news and editorials. On a usual day this will include 150 to 200 articles. My time spent browsing from site to site each morning has been severely reduced. Now, not only am I am better informed, but I am much more efficient. I only spend time online reading the articles I selected when I get to work.
My one complaint is that I cannot find a news reader that will cache the images attached to the feeds. This is a small price to pay for making my hour commute more productive and more fun.
Click on the image above to see a larger picture of Net NewsWire.
One of the most beneficial technologies/applications I have found in the Occasionally Connected world has been RSS and RSS readers.
RSS (really simple syndication) is a great way to distribute content. Users subscribe to a feed and then update that content as they choose. All users need is a computer and a RSS reader or news aggregator. There are plenty of free aggregators out there, but not all of them are built to cache the data for off-line use. Yahoo and Bloglines both allow you to read RSS feeds using your browser, but they do not save the content so you can view it without an Internet connection. You can find a partial list of RSS readers here. Personally, I use Net NewsWire for Apple OS X.
So how does this work? For our example, we will use Reuters. On their Website, Reuters offers a list of RSS feeds. I can pick and choose which content I want update by clicking on the "XML" button. [RSS is built on XML standards and the initials are often interchanged.] This should launch your RSS reader and prompt you to add the feed. Then you are done.
Several sites will have an RSS section that will allow you to subscribe to feeds, and most news readers offer a directory. Finding content is not difficult.
Occasionally Connected Use
Each morning before I leave the house, I start-up my laptop and my RSS reader. Using the Refresh Now button, the 55 feeds I have selected are checked for updates and downloaded in less than 30 seconds. I close my laptop and leave for work. Once on the train, I then read through each of the feeds. Different sites have adopted different strategies when it comes to what is included in a feed. Smaller sites and most Weblogs provide all of their content in the RSS feed. Larger media sites generally provide the title of each story and the first few lines of text. From the synopsis, you can navigate to their Web page to read the entire article. Though I am disconnected I can determine from the briefs whether or not I want to read the rest of the article and flag it to be read the next time I have a connection.
By the time I get to the office, I have read/scanned the sites I like to check daily for news and editorials. On a usual day this will include 150 to 200 articles. My time spent browsing from site to site each morning has been severely reduced. Now, not only am I am better informed, but I am much more efficient. I only spend time online reading the articles I selected when I get to work.
My one complaint is that I cannot find a news reader that will cache the images attached to the feeds. This is a small price to pay for making my hour commute more productive and more fun.
Click on the image above to see a larger picture of Net NewsWire.