Information That Comes To You [Part 2 Media Meditation #3]

For the final media meditation blog post, we were asked to describe our experience with RSS and Google Alerts.

RSS is an interesting tool, that I always noticed the icon (or symbol) for on websites, but I never knew much about. In Electronic Media Writing, we learned about the power of RSS, by first beginning to watch a YouTube video, that explained it in "Plain English."



After watching this video, I signed onto my Google account and began setting up my Google Reader. The Google Reader allows for me to click the RSS button on any page, which will subscribe me to the website, and then the information that I am looking for will come to me by appearing on my Google Reader. This type of technology is excellent for active audiences and information seekers. I see RSS and Google Readers as being a personal shift because this mass information is available to anyone; however, I am actively participating with the new technology by allowing the information to be sent to me directly.



When I set up my Google Reader, I subscribed to two different news sources that I am interested in. To do this, on my Google Reader, all I had to do was hit the "Add a subscription" button. Clicking that button will make a box appear, where I can type in any website I want to subscribe to. First, subscribed to my hometown newspaper, the Brattleboro Reformer. I also subscribed to CNN. To add a more personal touch, I also decided to subscribe to Advertising Age.

Now, what do I mean by "subscribe?" Well, now, when I log onto my Google Reader, I will see a list of my subscriptions. From the list, I can click on individual websites that I have subscribe to. Then, it will show me a list of new information streaming from that website that I may be interested in.

For the Brattleboro Reformer, it gives me a list of headlines along with a few sentences of the beginning of the articles. This acts as a preview, so I can browse the new articles added to the Reformer's website. Then, if I find one that interests me, I can click on the link and it will bring me to the article on the website.



The RSS and readers use timing as a persuasive technique. The information is coming to the user directly, freeing the user from having to spend time looking for the information.

In class we also began to looked at Google Alerts. Here is a video that I found useful to understanding the concept. This YouTube video explains what a Google Alert is, and how to set it up.



Like RSS, Google Alerts bring the information directly to the user. It's a definite technological shift. Users don't have to go to multiple websites to look for information on a certain topic.

It is also an extremely helpful tool for PR. People can set up their alerts for certain people or businesses that they want to know about, and then they will receive an email, as many times a day as they choose, about the topic.

In class we had a student from Champlain come in to discuss a YouTube video that she had created. It became extremely popular, and even Lady Gaga herself had seen the parody, because of having an alert set up about herself.

For my Google Alerts, I decided to set up one for Jean Kilbourne and another for Jodi Picoult.

For the Jean Kilbourne alert, I found a lot of the information to be websites mentioning her, and her research. One article I found was from Business News and it was simply mentioning her Killing Us Softly series. I also found out about different appearances and speeches she would be making.



When I created my alerts I included my favorite author, Jodi Picoult, because I knew that she was releasing a new book in March called House Rules. I knew that she would be making appearances to spread the word about the book, and I wanted to be kept informed. From this, I found out that she was going to be at the Norwich Bookstore on the day of the release in Vermont. Unfortunately, it was on a Tuesday, and I was unable to attend, but it was still helpful information.

RSS and Google Alerts are new technology that are revolutionizing the way Internet users seek information. It is making our lives easier, and these tools allow for information to come directly to our email inboxes.

Other tools, such as Twitter, are beginning to incorporate this type of information style. I have recently noticed that the Burlington Free Press has a Twitter account that acts as a similar thing to an RSS. They have popular articles as "tweets" and provide a link to view the rest of the article.

These technologies are fascinating tools that people are beginning to utilize. With information advancement like this, it makes me wonder what the research process will be like five years from now.