Web 2.0 – Part III: RSS

Web 2.0, also known as the “read/write web,” has been an ongoing series in the past two issues. In last month’s article, blogging was explained as an online journal about a particular topic that combines text, images, and links. Unlike most web pages, a blog is regularly updated. So when you find one with useful information, it can become a valuable resource for current information. Like a web page, it can easily be bookmarked; but what happens when you find 10 or more blogs that you want to track? Regularly checking for updated content would be too time-consuming. What you really need is a tool that monitors the sites automatically… you need syndication, something simple... really simple!

Introducing RSS (Really Simple Syndication). If you have read a blog, news article on the web, or have been on the Internet in the last two years, you have probably seen some form of RSS icon (see samples to the left). These icons let you know that the web site has a “feed” (a special format) that allows a “feed reader” (a special program) to track updates on that specific page. In the past I have promoted Bloglines.com as the feed reader of choice, but Google has recently released Google Reader which is quickly gaining popularity with its clean, fast, and easy-to-use interface. As they put it, “It’s like your inbox, for the web.” Take a quick Google Reader tour to learn more.

**Recent Update** Is it really that important to learn about Web 2.0? Pick up the latest issue of TIME magazine... "2006 Person of the Year - You." Web 2.0 has allowed people to make the shift from "consumers" of information to "creators" of it. Technology is bringing collaboration to a whole new level; changing the way we work, play, and live. We have seen a tremendous amount of change in our lifetime... imagine what our students will see! The TIME article provides of number of examples that demonstrate how Web 2.0 is changing the way we perceive information.