Month: November 2005

I have been asked a lot lately about Gmail and why it is the preferred email program for myself and lots of other people. Read on if you want to know why it is such a big success.

It’s ready for you

While technically still in Beta stage^¹^, Google’s “Gmail” is ready for everyone. It is by far the best free web-based email program available. It beats most paid webmail services and outshines common desktop email programs such as Outlook Express and Eudora.

Why Gmail?

Why is Gmail so cool? It’s fast, easy to use, and free. Google also incorporates the power of their web searching technology into your mail archives so that you can search easily and powerfully. And, with 2GB plus of storage you won’t be running out of space anytime soon.

Email from anywhere

Since Gmail is web-based, you can access your email from anywhere. If you want to read and write your work or school email you can do so with email forwarding and address aliasing. For example, the alias feature allows me to write an email from “official-email@simpledream.net” even though my Gmail address is really “my-email@gmail.com”.

Gmail’s approach to handling folders and message saving is perhaps one of it’s most beneficial features. Instead of the typical folder structure, Gmail simply allows you to archive everything in on big folder called “All Mail”. From there you can use the powerful search function, or else highlight (“star”) or label any number of messages or combinations of messages/conversations. Gmail uses this mixture of filters, labels, and highlighting functions to help you organize the bulk of your past email messages with very little effort.

Lots of nice features

Other notable features include auto-save drafts, time-saving shortcut keys, and a fantastic spam-catching system. I also like the intuitive conversation views which provide a straightforward way of message threading so that you only see quoted text and new responses instead of scrolling through lines and lines of old conversations.

PCWorld gives kudos to Gmail

There is a reason Gmail won 2nd place out of the Top 100 products of the year from PCWorld magazine (they were second only to the amazing Firefox web browser). PCWorld’s review says:

Google Gmail: (Free) Fast, simple, and with 2GB of storage, it has the elements of a paid service, delivering messages sans pesky graphical ads.

The downside

Just to be fair, there are some minor concerns about Gmail:

• Content-based ads: Ads are small, text-based but based on your email content. Google’s software scans your emails for search terms and then inserts ads based on those works. Google claims that no humans read them so you are safe from prying eyes.
• Storage on Google: Some people don’t like having their data stored on Google’s servers rather than on their own.

Try it, you’ll like it!

If you haven’t tried Gmail, send me a note and I can send you the link to sign up. The switch is worth it, in my opinion, just for the spam catching and the ease of use. My Gmail experience has made my email communication more efficient and frankly…more enjoyable!

Notes:
[1]: In software development, Beta means that the progam that is still somewhat in development. Alpha is the first release, Beta follows, and usually after that is the true public release.

[Updated 01/10/2006 to reformat markup.]

[UPDATE: this is the last of four articles on RSS.]

Even though RSS has been used in many ways, news reading was at the heart of the RSS design and implementation. Since then, just like any good technology, it has taken root in other markets.

Here is a sampling of how RSS is used on the web today. Since RSS is constantly changing, this list will probably look different in a few months—at least for me.

1. Ecommerce
   Retail web sites can notify consumers of the latest offerings and sales. A typical example is a company like eBay or Amazon that could send you updates on your favorite genre, author, or search term whenever a new product or specially priced item in that category is available. Since RSS can have links and other interactive content, it’s a simple way to market your products and keep customers up-to-date.
2. Automatic search results
   Online services provide custom search results sent to you via RSS. For instance, as a Chicago area web design company, you can set up a feed to notify you every time the Google Top Ten changes for “chicago web design”.
3. Project management
   Project managers can update team members of updates to job details, new to-do lists, and milestones. For example, if a group of high school students are working on a paper together online, RSS can be used to notify each student when the paper is updated by another team member.
4. Event calendars
   Use RSS to update your local calendar from online social networking software. As with many other RSS uses, this one is largely untapped as of yet. I use RSS to update my local machine with web projects milestones from my Basecamp account.
5. Bookmarks
   Services such as del.icio.us offer RSS feeds for popular tags. I follow a feed for “Neal Stephenson” so that every time a user posts a del.icio.us bookmark with a tag related to Neal Stephenson, I get an update in my RSS reader.
6. Classified Ads
   Sites such as the wonderful craigslist offer RSS feeds for all of their categories, both big and small. Follow job offerings in your city, or look for RVs for sale (I get feeds for both of those things!).
7. Photos
   In addition to bookmark feeds, other Social networking services use RSS to send updates. A great example is an online photo gallery called Flickr. Any time a user posts a Flickr photo with a tag of “tucson”, I get a notification with a thumbnail of the photo and link to view it online. It’s a great way to keep up with lots of new photos posted in your area of interest.
8. Podcasts
   Podcasting relies heavily on subscription services many of which are RSS feeds. Updating and getting the latest audio content for your favorite podcasts is made easy by RSS. An extra plus is the show notes which can get included in the RSS feed as a convenient visual guide to the content.
9. Package Tracking
   Track your FedEx, UPS, or DHL package with RSS. The way it works: enter the tracking number into your feed reader (such as Bloglines), then you will receive an update every time the tracking information is updated in the carrier’s database. This really beats manually checking the carrier’s site for updates.
10. News reading
    Whether you are an avid reader of good online content, a writer, or other content producer, RSS can help you either stay on top of new material. Following a large number of blogs is the quintessential use of RSS in my life.

Summary: Though RSS is used in many ways today, blogs and news sites were the early adopters of the technology. This is changing! To see a good diagram of the new RSS usage, check out this blog post on Burning Questions (the FeedBurner blog). The 2005 RSS diagram shows some of the newer RSS uses in comparison to the older 2003 diagram.

Can you think of any other uses that I missed here?

In Part 1 of this four-part series on RSS, I introduced the basics of RSS. In the second article I discussed the various RSS readers [aggregators!] and how they differ from each other.

Now it’s time to maximize your RSS reading! By understanding how to find and save your RSS feeds you will get the most out of this exciting technology.

Where do I find new feeds?
Surf the web! Go to your favorite sites. Chances are they have an RSS feed available. Check RSS search directories such as Yahoo for content you are interested in.

How do I add a new feed?
When you find a site you want to subscribe to, simply look for a bright orange button labeled “XML”. Other times you will simply see a link that says: “Subscribe via RSS”. Modern web browsers like Firefox, Safari, and Opera offer automatic discovery and bookmarking of feeds. In the worst case you will just have to click on a feed link, copy and the feed address from your browser, and paste it into your RSS reading software. Most feed reading software has easier methods; usually a click or two and you have subscribed to the new feed.

I’ve got a bunch of feeds, now what?
Just like reading email, RSS reading should be fun and easy. It can also be time-consuming, so if you plan a time to read your feeds you can make sure you don’t get so hooked that you don’t get any work done!

My personal favorite feed reader is Bloglines. It is fast, web-based, and easy to learn and use. Since it is web-based it allows you to access the feeds from any computer or web-enabled device at any time. And you account is always up to date with what you have and haven’t read.

Organize your feeds
After compiling a good amount of new feeds, organize them into folders according to their content. For example, have folders called “Podcasts”, “News”, “Weather”, and “For Fun”. Bloglines, like many other feed readers allows you to organize your feeds however you like. If your feeds get too out of hand (like you go on a week-long vacation and don’t read anything), simply mark them all read with a click of a button.

On probation
One tip I learned from the popular “getting things done” web site 43 Folders involves always putting new feeds into a folder called “Probation” (link to the article). Then, if you like the feed after a few weeks you can easily move it to another area. If you decide not to continue the subscription, it is simple to remove since all your trial feeds are in one place.

Power RSS usage
If you’ve been at the RSS reading thing for a while, and you have a Bloglines account, I recommend trying a service called Chameleon offered by Joshua DavisTyler (sorry Josh!). The concept is very interesting: Chameleon filters your feeds according to how soon and how often you read them. As a result, when you login to read your feeds, the ones you tend to click on and read first are on top. Very cool!

Whatever your reading habits are, make sure to take advantage of RSS to stay on top of blogs, news, and podcasts.

In my next RSS article, I will break down some of the popular uses for RSS (and maybe some more uncoventional uses!)

In my first post about RSS I discussed the basics of RSS and the idea of feeds and subcribing to an RSS feed. That’s all good and well, but how do you organize and read all those feeds once you have subscribed to them?

The answer is, of course, a feed reader. In the industry jargon they are called “aggregators”. This just means a program that gathers your RSS feeds and displays them nicely for you.

There are two basic types of feed readers. One is web-based and you need to be online and browsing the web to access your feeds. The other type remains on your desktop and runs along side of your other applications (even when you are off-line).

What you choose is up to you. In general the desktop RSS readers are faster and have more powerful functions. The online aggregators are usually less expensive (free!) and you can access your feeds from anywhere — even if you don’t have your computer with you.

Good RSS reading software is essential to get the most out of RSS and blog reading. Follow the links to test-drive some of the more popular RSS readers.

Popular online RSS readers:

• Bloglines
• NewsGator
• Rojo

Popular desktop RSS readers:

• (Windows) FeedDemon
• (Mac) NetNewsWire

Google also has a new RSS reader. I have tested it, but it seemed to be in pretty early stages of development. There are plenty more, too, but these are the ones that are known as being top-notch in terms of ease of use and reliability.

If you don’t want to use a traditional RSS aggregator like these, you can subscribe to RSS feeds right in Yahoo Mail, Gmail, and other online email programs. There are also plugins for all the major desktop email programs like Outlook, Thunderbird, Eudora, etc. that allow you to read RSS feeds in your inbox just like regular mail.

So, make time for your aggregator if you haven’t already. If you don’t have one, sign up for an online account, or else download a trial of a desktop aggregator. You can also check with your email provider to see if they offer RSS reading as a part of your email service. For you first feed, you can subscribe to simpledream blog!

Next time I will take a look at how aggregators work and what some different ways are to read your news and blogs. Stay tuned….

Recently I have had lots of questions about RSS from my parents, clients, and friends. This prompted me to put together several entries here about RSS and news reading on the web. Since most major sites like CNN, NPR, New York Times, and even this site (simpledream web studio’s blog) publish new content through RSS, it is an important technology to know about.

Today, in the first article, I am going to cover the basics for those of you that have heard about RSS, or seen it mentioned online, but do not have a clue what it is.

In brief, these are some benefits of using RSS as an end-user:

• Allows you to keep track of updates on your favorite web sites without having to constantly visit each site to see if it has changed
• Good way to gather lots of desirable content in one place
• No need to go looking for news, blogs, and other content on the web yourself
• No more long lists of bookmarks in your browser to keep up with your favorite sites

Along with RSS, you will hear the word Subscription (or subscribe) used a lot. This is because in order to take advantage of RSS technology, you have to first subscribe to a news feed from a particular source – usually a web site. That site produces a feed, which is just a fancy name for the files the site publishes to show updated content or changes to a page.

RSS, which stands for “Really Simple Syndication”, is easy to understand and use. Here is how it works:

1. A web site produces some content, be it an audio program (podcast), newsletter, blog entry, or online article
2. The web site’s programming scheme turns the content into a nicely formatted outline showing the content and some data to describe the content (date, author’s name, and title of the article, for example)
3. This outline format is written in a language called XML
4. RSS is designed to read XML files and therefore enables you, as the recipient, to receive the XML files to your computer or web browser by subscribing to the RSS feed of a web site
5. While you are sleeping, working, or playing, the feeds of web sites around the world are getting searched, grabbed, and indexed by your RSS reader software
6. You wake up, turn on your computer, and fire up your desktop or web-based RSS reader
7. Your news reader shows you the latest RSS feeds that it has gathered from your subscriptions and you can read, delete, and manage them as you wish

Bottom line: you will get notified by RSS when your favorites sites are updated!

Next time I will discuss the differences between online and desktop RSS readers and how to choose the best RSS program for your needs. I will also suggest some popular and easy-to-use RSS readers for you to choose from.

For now, here is more reading on the basics of RSS:
Feedburner, About RSS
Wikipedia Article