according to emily zager…

Early last week I began utilizing RSS feeds and Google Reader for the first time.  At first I was thrown off by the whole RSS-thing, but realized it can be pretty helpful and easy.  In fact, I had never really dealt with anything RSS-related – ever – until learning about the purpose and resourcesfulness of the web-feed system. I guess I’ve been really behind the times while continuing to “bookmark” my favorite websites near the top of my Firefox web brower.  But, it’s finally time to get with the program. I’m definitely all for simple structuring, easy-to-grasp customization and pinpointing my favorite online blogs, information and resources. (By the way, I’m a Virgo- organization is like chocolate for me.)

To begin my adventure with creating custom RSS feeds, I took a look at Ad Age’s Power 150 marketing blogs, and selected a handful of them to personally follow. I linked their RSS feeds directly into my Google Reader, and now receive up-todate notifications of new blogposts without having to ‘manually’ search for them myself. (I’m also a college student – I’m short on time and have a tendency to have a bout of laziness.)

I’ve begun following Social Media Explorer (#1), [chrisbrogan.com] (#4), Logic+Emotion (#11), Web Strategy by Jeremiah (#23), a shel of my former self (#33), among several others. I’ve started browsing through each thought leader’s blogs and have taken a liking to reading up on their diverse opinions, words of advice as well as comments on the current social media outlook.

I’ve also selected RSS feeds from several sites that I personally enjoy:  Foodista, Disney News, Dancehelp.com, PR Week’s US News, the New York Times, and the Green Bay Packers. (Milwaukee, WI – born and raised. No apologies.)

I think my only issue is being able to sift through all of my notifications.  I’m got feed coming directly from  25 sites as of today. I’d have to compare keeping up with my Google Reader is similar to checking my email accounts. Overall, working on these online activities will aid me in climbing the social technographics ladder. It’s my goal to become more of a creator – publishing blog posts, uploading videos and writing stories. I’m definitely a spectator and joiner when it comes to Web ventures, but think it’s more beneficial to get your voice out there by taking an active stance. What’s your position on the ladder?