RSS Feeds

Amanda mentioned in her presentation that a RSS feed could be added to a blog and those who subscribed to the RSS feed would be alerted when something new was added. Here is some information on RSS Feeds.

A RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed provides for the delivery of updated information from multiple sources to one location. The setting for the blog needs to allow the RSS feature and the recipient needs to use a RSS Reader to collect the updated material. The RSS default for Blogger.com is that "blog feeds" are allowed (see Settings then Site Feed).

The other part of setting up a RSS feed is that you need a place to collect all the blog that you subscribe to. These are called RSS Aggregators or Readers. There are many available but the most common is Bloglines. Google Reader is another option.

Using Bloglines as an example here is how you would set up a RSS Reader.
- Create or log into Bloglines account
- Click on "Feed" tab
- Click on "Add"
- In "Blog or Feed URL" type in URL for the blog you want to add
- If more than one site appears on next page, click in the box of URL you want to add
- You have a number of options: You can create folders. You also have a private or public option
- Click on Subscribe
- On left side of screen you will see the name of the blog that you subscribed to
- Click on name of the blog and you will see the new posts to this blog.

Some Tools & Resources:
Bloglines
Google Reader
It's Really Is Really Simple: RSS for Educators
Add RSS feeds to your Bloglines account (YouTube podcast)