In my prior post about RSS, we introduced the concept of RSS and RSS readers. Hopefully, you have had a chance to look at the Google Reader, and perhaps you are starting to develop an interesting list of subscriptions. In this post we will look at some business possibilities for your RSS subscriptions:
Personal knowledge
Want to sound like you know what you are talking about in a discussion of current events? Want an edge in a debate about industry specific topics. Want to share what the thought leaders are talking about or be the person who always has the most interesting stories? Have that knowledge served up to you 24/7 – just subscribe to the right stuff.
Here are a few examples:
Interesting and unusual stories: Try MentalFloss, The Smoking Gun, Neatorama, and LifeHacker.
Keep up with the thought leaders: Brian Solis, Chris Brogan, and Seth Godin, just to name a few.
News (local to worldwide) : From Fox to Al Jazeera, you can subscribe to any spin on the news that interests you. Just Google what you are looking for
Profession Specific: In my case, it’s Real Estate: Check out some of the better and more famous real estate bloggers: Jim Klinge, Missy Caulk, and Tom Royce, to learn about good real estate blogging. Check Agent Genius, Agency Logic and Housing Wire for real estate news. Search [your profession] +[ blogs] (without brackets) to get started with a list for your industry.
Technology: Tech Crunch and Mashable.
Get the picture? There are millions of feeds out there. Don’t just use my example list. Always be on the lookout for good content. One great source is the links posted by your Twitter and Facebook friends.
Content to share
In a short time you will have the best of the Internet served up to you. You will be smarter for it. But what else will you do with all this interesting and useful content? Share it! Tweet links to the great posts. Post useful links on your Facebook page. Refer to links and content in your blog posts. Create your own RSS feeds of interesting posts from others with Delicious (see my Delicious post), Friendfeed or LifeStream. Remember that what you share on the internet raises your credibility and clout.
Managing your valuable time
Just because you subscribe to a feed doesn’t mean you have to read everything in it everyday. Some of the larger sites feed hundreds of items a day. Learn how to use your reader (remember I like Google Reader) to categorize, sort, and prioritize your feeds, and quickly save and share useful posts. Learn the shortcuts, and don’t be afraid to delete unread feeds if time doesn’t permit you to look them over.
Happy reading. I guarantee you will feel a lot smarter in no time. Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog and Memphis Real Estate Buzz.
Related articles
- Getting the hottest news with RSS – Part 1 (joespakeblog.com)
- Subscribe to Memphis Real Estate Buzz Blog (memphisrealestatebuzz.com)
- NewsRack RSS Reader Now Available In The Mac App Store (macstories.net)
- How To Use Google Reader As A Bookmarking Service (e1evation.com)
