One Stop Shopping...

So, one of the things we're asked often here at the Blurb is "How can I subscribe to your really great news program?"  The answer starts with finding a good "feed reader" service, sometimes called aggregators. 

Feed readers are programs--almost always free of charge--that can be set up to automatically check your favorite websites for new updates.  Feed readers are neat because they make using the Internet quick and easy.  Once you use your feed reader to "subscribe" to a site, you don't technically need to ever go back to that site again!  Instead, you visit your feed reader to see if there are any new updates that you haven't seen.  It's like one-stop shopping for Internet users!

So what are some good feed reader programs?  Well there are literally dozens and dozens of feed readers.  Many people like Pageflakes.  Others prefer Newsgator. 

I'm a big fan of Bloglines because it is free (which is always the nice price) and it is web based--which means I can get to my subscriptions from any computer that has an Internet connection. 

To introduce you to the wide world of web feeds, I've created the following tutorials that will help you to sign up for a feed reader account with Bloglines.  IF YOU ARE A STUDENT, YOU MUST GET YOUR PARENTS' PERMISSION BEFORE CREATING A FEED READER ACCOUNT!

An Introduction to Bloglines and Feed Readers

Subscribing to a Website in Bloglines

Adding a Website's Feed in Bloglines

You might also find this document that describes how to add a feed in Bloglines helpful:

Download handout_bloglines_and_feed_readers.pdf

Leave me a comment to tell me what you think of these tutorials, and consider subscribing to The Blurb!  We're not a half-bad group of newshounds!

Signed,

Bam Bam Bigelow, Editor in Chief

The Blurb