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RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. It is basically a technology format that allows a publisher to deliver their message (news, blog post, tweets, etc.) in a feed. On the flip side, it allows a user to subscribe to one or many feeds so they can receive updates without the need to continuously check a site. Historically, we have subscribed to newspapers and magazines in order to receive information about topics of interest. Just think of this as the (more flexible and usually free) online version.

You can read feeds using a software called an RSS reader or aggregator and they come in many colors, shapes and sizes (i.e. web-based, desktop or mobile; fully featured or simple, Mac, PC, Linux, etc.)

Why RSS? You may already be subscribing to receive information via email and many services allow you to do so including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc. However, this setup is not the most productive for the following reasons:

1. You are struggling with email overload and managing the volume of email that is coming into (or sitting in) your inbox. I truly believe in the value of email for communicating information. That being said, there are activities that email just isn’t ideal for and adding to an already overflowing inbox is probably not the best method for staying current on the topics that interest you. Especially since it tends to be a lower priority activity for many (when weighed against other inbox messages).

2. Reading is a separate activity. How many times have you set something aside to “read later” and it never happens? Well, you are not alone. First a reminder, later never comes- you need to schedule it and set aside time if you really what to make it happen. Next, in my experience, there are different types of reading activities: quiet vs. active which can also be loosely translated into pleasure vs. required/high-priority reading. Regardless of what type of reading your RSS feeds fall into, it is something that can be done in a bulk or batched format.

Using an RSS reader is a great method for organizing your online reading. It can support the different types of reading activities while organizing, sorting and filtering according to your needs and they can help to ease our already overwhelming challenge with email overload. I will be posting next in the future on recommended RSS feed software and how to use them for maximum productivity. (Update: As I began to write that post, I found that I wanted more from my RSS reader, and so the search continues for me.  I will share my findings in a future post.)

My disclaimer: If something is working for you, don’t change it. I make these recommendations based on my experiences working with clients who struggle with email and information overload.  I get the opportunity to see and hear what isn’t working and implement changes to translate that process into a simpler, more productive one.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 at 1:35 pm and is filed under Organize your Bytes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.