Internet

We discussed about using feed readers to keep ourselves updated. I am eager to know what type of feeds do you subscribe to. I am also interested in knowing what feed reader you use.

In this post, let us discuss how to make use of blog feeds to learn new stuff.

Internet has always been a great resource for all the topics on earth! Yes, you know it. To check the meaning of new words, you use online dictionaries. To quickly find out information about a particular topic you use Wikipedia. To find information about any topic in depth you use articles and eBooks probably. Have you used blog feeds to learn new stuff? If not, you should, now.

Have you always been thinking about learning a specific technology or art? I'm sure most of you do. Many of you have secretly fantasized having more than 24 hours in day, haven't you? Off late, I have been gleaning one heck of information by subscribing to blog feeds. You name a topic and you will find a blog with quality content. If you are a marketing professional you may want to learn tips and tricks that can boost your career. If you are a software engineer, you may want to learn a new programming language. If you are a homemaker you may want to try your hands on new recipes. If you are a manager you may want to learn about a latest trend in your industry. The list goes on and on and on. In summary there's a topic out there for everybody. Even if you don't have the desire to learn new stuff, you should keep yourself updated and be smart in your industry.

Blogs invariably offer RSS feeds to their readers. Some blogs even offer e-mail alerts when new entries are posted. Take advantage of them and immerse yourself in your favorite topic for the next few days. Blogs cover hot industry news and reviews on them. It is convenient to learn a new technology or art in your free time. You can read the feeds when you want them. Everyday, before I start the work, I go through the feeds I have subscribed to. I also read them in my breaks and before I leave for the day.

Gone are days, I used to read newspapers and magazines. The availability of Internet opens a plethora of information sources. The content comes to your doorstep free of cost as well. No more hassles of dumping piles of old newspapers and magazines.

If you do not subscribe to RSS feeds yet, it is high time you do. If this sounds too geeky, take a look at the Wikipedia article first. Websites that offer frequently updated content is likely to publish RSS feeds. Using these feeds you read about what's happening around the world without visiting websites. If you subscribe to lot of e-mail newsletters, you know how difficult it is to manage them. Subscribing, unsubscribing and managing spam add to the inconvenience.

RSS feeds solve this problem. First and foremost, you have to download and install a feed reader on your computer. In the last post I mentioned a few names. I recommend Thunderbird. You can configure your e-mail accounts and also subscribe to RSS feeds using the "News and Blogs" feature in Thunderbird. Use Google to find the feeds you want and add them to your RSS feed reader. You don't have to visit those websites again to see what is updated. Look for the feed icon as displayed to the right of the above paragraph and click on it to visit the feed URL.