My readership varies in terms of tech savvyness. Some of you are computer junkies. Some of you aren’t. Some of you have blue-tooth and wi-fi devices coming out the ying-yang, while others have the misfortune of having to dial-in for internet access. And keeping this in mind, I occasionally try to introduce you to essential internet tools that will improve your life. Well here come two that you probably know about, but I simply must mention them for the many who still don’t use them.
The first one will one day be common knowledge, like your messenger program or your email, you’ll have a RSS reader, also called a newsreader. Specifically I strongly recommend that you use bloglines.com. Such tools are free and in this case, web based so you can access them from any computer connected to the net.
The reason it will change your life, is that you won’t have to surf to individual websites anymore. No more typing in theonion.com or my address to see the latest stuff, it will come directly into your reader when its ready, and you can read it when YOU are ready. Personally I read over 5 newspapers from different corners of the world, per day, using RSS feeds in my bloglines. I also get my blogs, TV listings, bittorent updates, weather reports, and read new comments using it. And like I said, in the future, EVERYONE will use RSS, but til this point, people have been to scared. Don’t be scared — start using it!
The other tool that has saved me piles of money, and improved my life by connecting me with loved ones around the world, not to mention new friends: SKYPE! Yes, this word should be common knowledge to you. Its a free messaging program that works primarily through voice. Thats right… like a telephone without the telephone and say goodbye to the bills! I talk to my momma all the time now and i suspect we miss each other a little less this way. Download it, start using it, don’t underestimate its usefulness for your life. I also just read a more academic and in-depth post related to what skype can do.
So there you have it.. go forth.. try them. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll thank me.