Google Reader

In the previous post I was suggesting that we scan the news for items and issues that are of interest to our clients in order to be able to add more value to the services we provide to our clients. Searching the web for news on specific topics can be an arduous task simply because there is so much content out there.
There are two related technologies that make sifting through lots of content a lot easier. The first one is RSS. RSS stands for 'Real Simple Syndication'. It is a technology that allows us to 'subscribe' to the web content that is often updated.

In IE7 you can directly subscribe to these feeds by clicking on the RSS button in the toolbar. These feeds are then available in your browser next to your favorite links. There are also software programs you can install that will manage feeds. The new outlook can do this for example.
The best tool I have seen for this is Google Reader. You can add all the feeds that you are interested in and you can organize them into folders. It's very easy to scan through the articles and it keeps track of what you have looked at.
Here's a movie of what it can do:

Chris Gadula's friend Jesse Hirsh pointed out a key benefit of this tool that you can share what you are reading very easily. You can then publish this list on a web page or integrate it into other pages. A really cool feature is that your shared list can also be seen as an RSS feed! One of the feeds I am subscribing to is Jesse's shared items. You can see them on a web page here: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/00787694365499276274
Here is a link to my shared items page: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/05387315875848305761 And you can also see the same items in the side bar further down on this page.
Play around with Google Reader and keep your eyes open for RSS feeds. I look forward to seeing your shared news items!