I’m new to the blogging world, which means I only recently discovered this funny little icon. The thing I like about it is that it’s my favorite color, and it’s very simple and well . . . icon-ish. You can spot it in a flash no matter how busy a website is. And, it matches the color theme of my website perfectly . . . almost like they had me in mind when they made it . . . I love those guys.
And then I actually discovered what it meant, which was even better. I was recently trying to explain it to a friend of mine who hadn’t heard about “readers” (all this time he thought he was one). Instead of having to check back repeatedly to several different websites to see if there have been any new posts, you can just have new posts automatically sent to the “reader” of your choice. It’s like creating your own daily newspaper, adding only the sections that you actually want to read. And, it doesn’t have to clog up your email, either. (For a better explanation from someone smarter than me, read What is RSS?) To see where I stole this cute image from, click here.
Well, there are even other places, like RSS Hugger, that compile a bunch of different blogs in one place under different category headings . . . like one giant reader. You can go on and peruse at your leisure, maybe discovering something you hadn’t heard of before, and signing up for the blog feeds that interest you. I think it’s a great idea, and can help narrow down the overwhelming choices on the internet.
On this site, you can find almost any type of blog. Of course, there are real estate blogs where you can find $1 homes . . . but you might be more interested in being Gourmeted to death with Spicy Garlic Chicken Tenders . . . and if you’re still hungry, you can always go for the traditional Green Eggs and Planet by MixedMarketArts . . . and if you’re STILL hungry, you’ll just have to visit HotGirls4U. (Don’t worry, RSS Hugger doesn’t allow any pornographic material).
It’s not only a good service for consumers, but bloggers can get more exposure (and ideally, more subscription readership) by linking up and networking with sites like RSS Hugger. Go orange, hug an RSS.