Really Simple Syndications

When I first heard about “RSS Feeds,” I felt like my mother.  Back in the day as a young lad, I felt especially computer savvy.  And I just couldn’t understand how my mother, a very smart woman, could be so incredibly computer illiterate.  “How can she not know how to sign on aol?” I wondered.  I was 10 years old and was able to do anything I could think of on the computer.  I couldn’t understand how my mom didn’t know that “jk” meant just kidding and that an “IM” was an instant message. 

            And then it happened.  “I really AM just like my mother,” I realized.  I slowly lost hold of technology.  Just as my mother didn’t know what an internet chat room was, I did not know what an RSS feed was.  Just as my mother had turned to me day after day regarding technological issues, I chose to turn to my younger, 18 year old sister, Carly.

           

I thought that Questioning Carly would be a great comparison for the relation between my mother’s case and mine.  I figured it would also inform me whether I was completely out of the loop, or if I just fell into the same issue as my mother.  Carly not only knew what an RSS feed was, but also used one.  She uses it for both school and personal information and interests.

After talking with my sister, I realized my hypothesis for myself was correct.  I am neither trendy nor tech savvy.  I tend to resist new technology in the beginning.  But why?  Does the technology go away?  Does it put itself on hold until I’m ready to adapt?  Obviously not.  I always adapt to the advances, but I’m always several steps behind.  The mp3 players, for example, became very popular, yet I was content with my portable CD player.  Once the hype continued growing, and they became more and more popular, I decided to give in.  To this day, I haven’t set aside the time, to learn to load songs on it.  My roommate did it for me once, therefore I have about 100 songs memorized.  I act as if this technology will soon go away, I won’t have to learn it, and then something completely new and non related will come out.  That is a huge mistake.  Technology is surrounding us, and doesn’t start at a novice level each time something new comes out.  It usually builds off the previous technological breakthrough.  So my advice to any of you would be to make technology part of you.  It will always be a huge part of your life. 

 

RSS feeds are such a great example of the magnificence of technology.  RSS stands for Really Simple Syndications.  RSS feeds connect multiple internet sites such as email, news, weather, sports, and blogs to one centralized sight.  After the advice of both Dan Izzo and my sister, I tested the waters.  It is wonderful and incredibly time saving.  I’ve only played around with netvibes for a matter of moments, yet I already have a good grasp on the site. 

 

Whether it be general technology, specifically the internet, or even more targeted with speaking of RSS feeds, don’t lose your technological edge.