As much as I love moving along with the times, I can't see the point in RSS feeds. I mean, I understand the logistics, and see the reasoning behind why people are supposed to subscribe. But really, why would you
want to?
There are eleventy-billion ways to use the internet, but for me it usually comes down to these three:
- Keeping up to date with friends/contacts, which I usually do by checking email and Facebook (and perhaps now the people I "follow" on Blogger). Facebook has it's own "news feed" so everything I want to see is right there anyway, and Blogger seems to have the same kind of thing - listing details of the blogs that you follow on your "dashboard".
- Looking for a specific thing, e.g. the answer to a question (usually to prove I am right), a map (so I know where I am about to go) or what's on sale at the supermarket.
- Surfing!! Yes, actually looking around and discovering new and exciting things out there.
Perhaps my view on RSS feeds stems from the fact that I'm basically a "phaser". I'm often interested in something new - I'll really get into the swing of it, try to learn what it's all about, and imagine I'll become mistress of that particular domain; before realising I probably won't and moving onto the
next new thing. That is, I go through a lot of "phases".
Take gaming, which we know I love. While gaming itself is not a phase for me, the games I play usually are - I go through long periods of playing nothing followed by equally long, but intense periods of playing the
next new thing (think
Korean Gamer).
To cut to the chase, I'm never invested enough in any one thing to want to read about it every damn day. Having Google Reader on my plate is just another thing to
have to check, and no doubt would lead to me becoming (R)ather (S)enselessly (S)nowed-under with information I probably didn't really want in the first place.
Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather go out there looking for information myself.
