Keeping up with blogs using RSS feeds

For anyone participating in the Learning 2.0 project (or thinking about participating...or just following along), you might be thinking, "How can I best keep up with this project...or keep tabs on lots of other blogs?"

Well, if you haven't done so already, you might want to discover the world of RSS feeds. Check out Newfangled Web Factory's comprehensive article entitled Managing Information Overload with RSS.

"One way to manage information overload is through the use of RSS. RSS stands for (at least most people say it stands for) Real Simple Syndication. Content providers like bloggers, traditional news outlets, and Newfangled can utilize the simple RSS format to allow people to subscribe using their RSS readers. I'm sure you've seen plenty of sites that have those RSS or XML graphics next to articles. Those icons indicate that you can subscribe to that site's RSS feed."

There's much more to this article, including a good overview of available readers in a section called "Finding a Reader that's right for you."

"There are many kinds of RSS readers out there. Depending on your platform and whether or not you use the same computer all the time, you will probably choose between web based RSS services or application driven tools that you install on your computer."

Personally, I prefer using the web based service Netvibes to manage my news feeds. It's free, doesn't require any software downloads, and it works well with my Google Mail account. And becasue it's web-based, I can access my account from both my home and work computers. Very handy! (Go to main page.)