50 Ways to Check your RSS Feeds... (well, maybe not *quite* 50)

Not-so-brief intro: This is Kerri, the SCLS Library Electronic Resources Support Specialist. I work at SCLS-Administration and my job focuses mainly on Library Online support, authentication for the online resources (so libraries and patrons can easily access online products to which libraries subscribe), database statistics, and other assorted technology projects. Before my current job, I worked on the helpdesk and as a PC technician in Automation, and long before that I spent 6 years in MPL-Central's circulation department. I like to answer questions and am always happy to receive feedback and suggestions (and chocolate!). I'll be posting to TechBits on a wide variety of topics including Library Online and online resources.

If you are new to RSS feeds, you may find it difficult to remember to check your feed reader.

Stef and I were brainstorming and she was convinced that we could think of “50 ways to check your RSS feeds.”  We didn’t *quite* think of 50, but here are 10 to get you started thinking…  

1. If you use a web-based RSS reader (Bloglines, Google Reader, etc), make it your homepage for a while.
2. Try out Morning Coffee, a Firefox extension that lets you organize websites by day and open them up simultaneously as part of your daily routine.
3. If you use Bloglines, try the Bloglines Notifier. It puts an icon in your system tray that changes when you have updates to your feeds.
4. Bookmark your web-based reader (Ctrl-D to bookmark in IE, Ctrl-Shift-L in Firefox).
5. Put your Google Reader feeds into your iGoogle page.
6. If Firefox is your browser of choice, subscribe from within Firefox. Or find a Firefox reader that you like!
7. Schedule some time for RSS feeds on your calendar.
8. Leave yourself a reminder note.
9. Make it fun. Subscribe to a feed that you’re really, really, REALLY interested in, so you look forward to checking!
10. Discuss interesting things you’ve read and exchange feed suggestions with your co-workers and friends. It’s a great way to keep your feeds fresh in your mind!

(Some of these suggestions may work best on a home PC or on a PC that isn’t shared by multiple users)