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STEP #2:

RSS Feeds

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a process by which a web site is able to share information. An RSS document is called a "feed". When you post to your blog, you are creating a document (or feed) which can then be tracked by a "feed reader". Basically, if you find you like a particular web site or blog, you can subscribe to it and have updates sent to you automatically, rather than having to check the site regularly.

EXERCISE #2:

A.

• By now you should have completed your blog and emailed Kathy Morgan.
• You should now read the article, What's RSS and Why Should I Care About It?.

B.

• Before you can subscribe to feeds, you need to set up a feed reader. There are many to choose from, but the most popular feed readers are Bloglines, Google Reader, and MyYahoo.
• Set up an account with Bloglines. Just click, Sign Up Now and follow the instructions.

C.

• Once you set up the feed reader, find a blog, web site, newswire or other RSS feed.
• Subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the RSS button .
• There will be a lot of code, don't worry, copy the address line by highlighting it, then click Edit on the menu bar. Select Copy.
• Go to your Bloglines account. Click Add on the left side of the screen.
• Paste the address, by clicking in the text box that says Blog or URL Feed. Click Edit on the menu bar. Select Paste.
• Click Subscribe.

As you progress, you can also add Feeds to your personal blog.

This is not necessary for 12 Weeks to 2.0 but it is something you can try.

D.

• Monitor your Bloglines account for a few days or even a week.

(The easiest way to do this is to download a Bloglines notifier. Look at the left side column, click Download Notifier. They choose Microsoft Windows Notifier. Click Download Now. This step is not mandatory. It will only work if you have your own personal computer either at home or the library. This is not possible with a shared computer.)

 

• Post a minimum of 50 words about your experience with RSS feeds to your blog.
• You can subscribe to your own blog and watch your posts appear in Bloglines.

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME: 1 HOUR

BEGIN STEP 3: PUBLISHING PHOTOS