Week 3: RSS feeds

Yes, the instructional video is correct. Feeds are totally addictive and should be approached with caution. I fumblingly created a Google Reader account a few months ago and have now amassed an idiotic number of subscriptions. I only manage to keep up with maybe half of them, but I keep adding an average of 3-4 a week. Gluttonous! And now that I know about tools like Technorati and Feedity, I'll be adding even more...

The only complaint I have about feeds, besides their addictive-ness, is that they sorta flatten the Internet experience. By using a reader you miss out on all the beautiful design work people have put into their sites that give them their own unique feel. But this is a quibble, and possibly overcome-able one day? Oh yeah, I guess another worry to keep in the mind are the potential implications of being so constantly plugged in. Are we losing some ontological options here? Am excited about M.T. Anderson's Feed possibly being discussed in this system.

Anyhoo, categories of feeds I find especially useful for work, and some subscription favorites:

The blogs of other public library teen departments (Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library, NYPL)
YA lit blogs
YA Author blogs (Laurie Halse Anderson, Neil Gaiman, Megan McCafferty, John Green)
General librarianship blogs/journals (Library Journal's The Bubble Room marketing blog)
General Book Review & Literary blogs (Graphic Novel Reporter, the Millions, Powells Books, Guardian UK)
The aforementioned craft blogs
Some select pop culture blogs (ex: ypulse teen trends)

Google Reader lets you share favorite posts and embed them on your blog with the widget on the right hand column of this page.

Whoa, Neil Gaiman's posted that he's working on a project with Stephin Merritt. DOES HE MEAN MAGNETIC FIELDS STEPHIN MERRITT. Oh okay yes he does. Apparently Stephin Merritt did the score for the stage production of Coraline! And I've just found Stephin Merritt's blog to add to my feeder!