Use RSS Feeds Wisely

You've probably seen the icon along the top of your computer browser:

Or you may have heard of the term RSS Feed.

Either way, RSS feeds can be used to keep track of websites/blogs/podcasts you normally visit on a regular basis.  I'm not going to tell you what an RSS feed is.  The link to RSS Feed to the Wikipedia page provides a more detailed explanation than what I could do.

Use them wisely.

Use them as part of your daily learning practice.

Many of the authors, bloggers, and podcasters I mention I have an RSS feed already set up, so I don't miss a single post.  This can be useful when I'm out of town for a few days and I can capture any of the podcasts/blogs that get posted in that time.

My one piece of advice on this is: don't just blindly subscribe to the RSS feed of every single website you visit--unless you want to.  Having too much information can overload your brain and you may actually miss something.  I currently have 29 websites in my RSS feed, and if I add to it, it's for a reason: that I continually learn something from that blog/podcast.

Note: I know some of you out there may tell me that their iTunes account will serve a similar funciton.  I am aware of this, however not everyone has an iTunes account.  If you do, that's great.  If not, then use the RSS feed.  I would give the same advice on the iTunes account too--use them wisely on the podcasts you follow.

What are you using?  Are you taking advantage of the RSS feed?