Do you read numerous blogs or websites on a given day? Are you tired of checking each one to see if it has been updated? If this describes you, it might be time for an RSS aggregator. An aggregator, or feed reader, allows you to read your favorite blogs in one convenient location. As a reader of this blog, you may have noticed the word "Subscribe" on the right hand side of your screen, followed by a few icons. (see below)

Bloglines and My Yahoo are only a couple of the options available to you. Others include Google Reader, my AOL, and Technorati. Whenever you see icons for these services, a box with the letters "XML" or "RSS, "or this icon,
you can add the site to your aggregator. Many people use this technology not only for blogs, but also for news alerts. The Telegraph, Union Leader, Boston Globe, and CNN.com have feeds that will deliver the news right to your aggregator. So, you can catch up on local and national news as well as your favorite political and sports blogs all in one place.

What does RSS mean and how do the readers work? RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a group of web feeds that publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. You subscribe to a feed by entering the feed's link into your reader or by clicking an RSS icon, as noted above. The reader checks your feeds regularly for new content and downloads what it finds to your aggregator. Some, such as my Yahoo, list new posts on your my Yahoo page. Clicking on the link will bring you directly to the blog or article. Google Reader downloads the text of the blog or article, which you can view in the reader. If you do not receive an entire blog entry or article, click on the link. (I have to do this for the New York Times book reviews, but not for the NPL Blog.) You will also have to link to the actual blog to read comments.

I started using Google Reader in May after attending a session about RSS feeds at the New Hampshire Library Association conference. I had heard about RSS while I was in library school, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted or needed one. My curiosity about this Web 2.0 technology was piqued, however. The session convinced me that I should take the plunge. It's a lot easier than visiting each site daily, especially since some sites and blogs I read are not updated every day.

If you're interested in learning more, take a look at Secrets of RSS by Steven Holzner. Feel free to leave a comment.