Q: What is an RSS reader?
A: A simple program that allows you to read all of your sites that are updated frequently (such as blogs) in one place. That way, you don’t have to bookmark and check a zillion different sites every day.
Q: How does it work?
A: Simply add the feed for the blog to your reader (I’ll explain how to do this in a moment). From then on, all posts to the blog will be queued up in your reader and you can read them there (along with your other blogs). You can organize your blogs into different folders, too.
(Nerd Note: Technically, “RSS reader” is a bit of a misnomer. “RSS” refers to the format of the feed. There are also Atom feeds and XML feeds. Ergo, “aggregator” is a more correct term than “RSS reader.”)
You can use an RSS reader for free. Here are some good ones:
1. Bloglines (this is what I use)
2. NetNewsWire (the most popular reader for Mac users)
3. Google Reader (how can you go wrong?)
How to add BuildYourMetaphysicalBusiness.com (or any other blog) to your reader:
We’ll use Bloglines as an example. The process will be similar for the others, I’m sure.
1. First, go to the blog and find the link (URL) to the blog’s feed. For BYMB, it’s in the left sidebar at the top under “Get Connected” (”Subscribe in a reader”). Here it is.
2. After you open an account, go to “Feeds” (in the tab at the top of the page)
3. There is a link at the top that says “Add”. Click on that.
4. Enter the blog feed URL in the “Subscribe” box. Choose your preferences (including the folder, if you’re using folders). Hit the “Subscribe” button at the bottom of the page.
5. That’s it!
“So what’s the point?” Well, if you read a bunch of blogs, repeat the process for the rest of them. Now you can read them all in one place!