Bloglines

Bloglines can introduce you to a new way of using the web. Users can be notified of new content without having to actively check for it. The information presented to users in an aggregator is typically much simpler than most websites. This spares users the mental effort of navigating complex web pages, each with its own layout. When subscribing to a feed, the user does not disclose their email address, so the user is not increasing their exposure to threats associated with email: spam, viruses, phishing, and identity theft. There's many benefits to using a feed reader so lets get into some practical exercises to see if it meets your needs.

Example Blog feed to get you started

As an example we will add the feed from my blog.Chris Harvey Blog.

• In your browser, go to Chris Harvey.
• On the right hand side of the page, you will see a Meta block and a link "Entries RSS" Control+click/right-click on this link and choose "Copy Link Location."

Now, you're ready to login to Bloglines and add the feed URL to your account.

Sites will have RSS feed links located in different places. Usually, the link is located at the bottom of the page. Often, the link is identified with a small orange graphic labeled "RSS" or "XML."

Adding an RSS Feed to Bloglines

• Login to Bloglines.
• Click the My Feeds tab.
• Click the Add link.
• Paste the URL of an RSS feed into the Blog or Feed URL: field which will appear on the right-hand side of the page.
• Click Subscribe.
• A confirmation screen will appear, asking you to confirm the feed and choose the settings for the feed. The options enable you to:
  • place the feed into an existing or new folder in your Bloglines account
  • choose whether updated items in the feed appear as new (in bold text), making them easier to visually identify
  • in what format you would like items to be displayed (complete entries, summaries, or just titles)
  • whether or not you would like this feed to be monitored by Bloglines Notifier
  • if you would like the feed to be displayed in a mobile-device friendly mode
  • if you would like to make your subscription to this feed public to other users (so that they can see what you are subscribed to)
  • record any notes about the feed for yourself.

When you're done choosing your options, click the Subscribe button.

Finding an RSS Feed to add to Bloglines

There's many other web applications that distribute news feeds. Add the following feeds to your bloglines account.

• Wiki example. Wikinews, Wikinews Feed
• Email list. TALO Egroup, TALO Email list Feed
• News site Newsforge, Newsforge Feed
• Social Bookmarking Digg, Digg Feed

Uploading an OPML File to Bloglines

OPML is a protocol that allows us to share a list of RSS feeds. You can download the OPML file and then upload it into your Bloglines account.

• Locate an OPML
• Click on the link for this item.
• On the item detail page, right-click on the file icon, and choose "Save Link As."
• Save the file somewhere on your computer.
• Login to Bloglines and go to your feeds.
• Click the Edit tab.
• At the bottom of the left-hand pane, click the "Import Subscriptions" link.
• Click the Browse button on the right-hand side of the page.
• Browse to the location of the file you downloaded and choose Open.
• Click Import.
• A list of the feeds you imported will appear.

Blogbridge

Adding an RSS Feed to Blogbridge

Exporting feeds as OPML File

Reflection

Spend 20 minutes thinking about what you've learned. Here's some things to think about:

• Creative ways you plan to use web feeds in your work and in your life.
• How you can use it for business and marketing.
• Uses in education across all subject area's.
• The impact of distributed information on the internet.
• A practical assessment of the software.

Networks

Explore online communities and networks for feedback on your progress.

Then visit the Perspectives page and share your perspective.