Archives From The Desk of CJD

Aggregate Your News

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One of the pillars of the internet , next to e-mail, is the personal, humble blog. You know, the social internet, not social media. Creators, writers, photographers, video hosts, and podcasters all need to put their works on a site that they own and fully control as opposed to posting on restrictive social media outlets. These personal websites will then generate what is called a feed for syndicating their works out to the internet (RSS or Really Simple Syndication).

That is step one. Step two is reminding their followers, their fans and their audience to embrace RSS aggregators, or feed readers so they can continue to enjoy the creator’s content. Sounds simple, yeah?

These RSS readers pull the website owner/creator’s latest articles into an easily readable format that the individual controls. Not some algorithms that are driven by social media control or advertising. RSS has no advertising[mfn]unless the creator mentions their sponsors, that is.[/mfn]. You are in charge of what you want to read, who you want to read it from and to save it later for reference- or discard. You are in charge of your intake.

A screenshot of my feeds from Reeder.

Start by adding sources you know and trust. A source is a place where information comes from. When you add sources to your feed reader, you’ll be able to monitor them all in one place. By sources, I don’t just mean news sites. Sources can include:

  • RSS feeds

    Subscribe to the RSS feed of any source or publication.

  • Magazines

    Follow everything from major industry publications to niche magazines.

  • Blogs
  • Get new posts from industry thought leaders, medium authors, or personal interest blogs.

  • News publications
    Follow major news publications or local news sources.

  • Research journals

    Keep up with the newest literature in your area of study.

  • Twitter Pull content from Twitter accounts, hashtags, Lists, and searches into your feed reader. No ads!
  • Newsletters
  • Get email newsletters delivered to your reader so you can declutter your inbox and read without distractions.
  • Reddit

    Get posts from subreddits and searches in your feeds.

  • YouTube

    Subscribe to YouTube channels or playlists and get new videos in your feeds.

  • Podcasts

    Follow podcasts and never miss out on new episodes of your favorite programs.

Which feed reader should you use?

Start simple and free- try Feedly ( no, this is not a paid endorsement) In fact, I started to use Feedly a long time ago but opted for a cleaner, more personal aggregate called Reeder and FeedBin. These are one time purchases for me. Feedly has iOS, Android and web apps so you can access your feeds. Your news, your way.

Feedly web interface

It is way past time to delete your social media accounts and rejoin the social internet, like we used to do. The World Wide Web is a much better place and it starts with all of us taking control of our websites and consuming them our way.

And of course I would appreciate being one of the first web sources you add to your new RSS feed reader. When you do, drop me an email to let me know. It is the social internet after all. If you have a website, I’d be happy to subscribe to it in my feed as well.

My web feed is simply http://chrisdenbow.com/feed

My email is hello [at] chrisdenbow.com