Tasks 8 & 9 - RSS Feeds

RSS feeds are one of the Web 2.0 technologies which I would now struggle to be without. Originally I was not at all interested using an RSS Feed Reader and instead preferred to have any type of update notification emailed since my email account was what I always checked and accessed on a daily basis. In time though, a number of sites that I wanted to receive regular updates on only offered an RSS feed and so my hand was forced. And since then I haven't looked back.

I set up a Google Reader account, for no particular reason other than it was the type demonstrated by a colleague. The web-based nature of the Google Reader is a key advantage. I'm not a "fan boy" by any stretch of the imagination but I have few complaints about the Google Reader and would happily recommend it to others.

At present I have subscriptions to 66 different feeds. They range from the professional like ToC journal alerts (eg "Search: ISI WoS Info Lit"), profession orientated blogs (eg ACRLog and "Library Link of the Day") and job alerts (eg "SEEK Job Search: matching ""university of queensland" lucia" in Brisbane", "SEEK Job Search: Library Services in Brisbane" and "ALIAnet: LIS jobs") through to the very unprofessional like Gizmodo, "Cricinfo news from Cricinfo", "Dilbert Daily Strip", "The Onion", and "Top Gear Latest News". many of these feeds are only updated on an irregular basis and to avoid being swamped by information I happily delete subscriptions which no longer interest me. Though feeds from news sites are often highlighted as a reason for using RRS feeds, I've avoided subscribing to too many since they produce so much output that it is impossible to read it all.

Aside from having access to a greater range of sources than that offered by email alerts, a big advantage of the Google Reader is that I'm not restricted by the storage limits imposed by system administrators. The mobile device version of Google Reader also works quite well on the iPod Touch.

The obvious use for libraries is the distribution of new titles lists and news updates but a big hurdle is the need for users to chose to subscribe and as worthwhile as our info is, it is not something that our audience often thinks of accessing. For library promotion I believe the emphasis should be on the development of more explicit "push" methods which may then lead users towards new technologies like RSS feeds.