Internet Activity #2

Once again this class is introducing me to many aspects of Google i never knew about. First of all, the only thing i thought google was useful for was searching. I also knew that you could have an e-mail address (g-mail). Now i know there are many interesting applications such as blogger and reader and docs etc. to use for free! i just thought i would throw that in there as i am sure some other classmates agree. The new google application for this assignment is google reader. Do i ever like it! Google reader lets you browse your favorite web sites through subscriptions to feeds from web pages and enables you to easily see which pages have been updated and with what content. There are three main ways to add feeds to your reader. Firstly, you can add a feed by searching for feeds using key words in the "add subscription" tap. For example, i typed in "CNN" into the add subscription tab, then saw many possible feeds i could choose from to subscribe too. Next to that tab is a button called "Discover". Click that and the first thing to load is a group of feeds under the recommendations tab. Based on previous searches or your very first search, the reader gives you recommendations for popular sites with the number of suscribers next to it showing the feeds popularity. Finally, there is a packages tab which gives you the option of subscribing to a bundle of feeds under one topic. There is a sports package, a news package, a fun package and much more created by google reader. This enables you to see many popular and interesting feeds in one interest area. I have been using google reader for only a few days now and i find that it is much more efficient at seeing what is new on my favorite web pages. I no longer have to type the entire web address and let it load and then browse and suck back my already limited spare time. Now i only have to click on each subscription to see the changes and updates on the site. If i am interested in knowing more on the subject, i simply click on the article and it sends me to the website! In all it saves time. You can also add interesting articles or events through sharing and attach them to your blog. On this blog on the top right side is a list of shared articles which interested me and i am allowing other people who visit this blog to read them. I think that google reader is much better than searching individual sites. It is perfect for first thing in the morning searches or quick updates on your favorite topics. However, if you simply wish to visit one site and browse, it is better to just type in the URL. This technology i will defiantly use everyday, especially when time compressed! I think it would be more useful when more people and friends start using it so that it is easier to keep up with their interests and find more interesting things that you can add.