Week #4 - Thing #9

I have to say it... I think this assignment is already out of date. While RSS feeds are handy, they are becoming unnecessary in light of iGoogle. Basically, with iGoogle, you can create tabs that contain items (or "gadgets") of your choice. Personally, I have a standard tab with a number of different items on it, and I have a blog tab that is exclusively blogs and my Google Reader. As I go through the reader each day to clear off the mess that comes in from sites I chose months ago, not realizing that there would only be 1 or 2 gems in and among the less quality things they put out, I find it cumbersome and annoying. I sometimes get 50+ items a day on my reader. But with iGoogle, I can create a gadget that links directly to the blogs I prefer. Then they are on my iGoogle page, they are organized however I see fit, and they show me only the titles. If I choose to go beyond that, I can click the title, link directly to the page, and see what's there. Then I can hit the back button and repeat the process as I choose. No more sifting through other items.
It's quick. It's painless. And it's much better for me than RSS. So, although I still have my RSS up and running, it's not where I spend my time anymore. However, it may still be the better way to get news on one topic, so it's still a viable option in certain contexts.