Would you like to know what website I visit most? It's no secret: I love Bloglines! Bloglines is a free service that allows me to go to one source to view all of the other websites and blogs I try to keep track of. I input the RSS (Really Simply Syndication) feeds into Bloglines and it displays the updates to those feeds each time I log in. Many sites have RSS feeds, usually indicated by an orange RSS , XML , or syndication icon . Virtually all blogs and news sites have RSS feeds. Instead of checking each site individually, I subscribe in Bloglines and read all of them there. In fact, currently my Bloglines account is following 154 feeds. It would be insane to bookmark and manually check each of those 154 sites. Bloglines brings that content to me.
Bloglines is what's called an RSS aggregator. It's one place that retrieves and combines the content of the RSS feeds you input.
Let's assume you are new to Bloglines. Let me show you how to set up an account and add an RSS feed. Feel free to follow along...
Go to Bloglines.com. Before using it, you'll need to create an account. Click Register in the upper right corner of the page.
Complete the account information and click the Register button.
After registering, you'll be taken to the My Feeds page. The page is divided into two sections. The left side lists the names of your feeds. By default, you are subscribed to Bloglines | News. The right side shows information from Bloglines and it will also display new items from a feed when that feed is clicked on the left side.
Let's add the RSS feed from the azk12.org blog. Click Add.
On the right side of the screen you can either enter the web address of the website or the web address of the site's RSS feed. To locate the Arizona K-12 Center's Blog feed, open a new browser widow and go to azk12.org/blog. Right-click (Mac users can Control-click) a feed icon . Copy the link's location. Go to back to the Bloglines window and paste the copied address into the Blog or Feed URL field.
Bloglines will show you the available feeds and allow you to set options. Most likely you'll keep all of the default options. Scroll down and click the Subscribe button.
On the left side the feed for the Arizona K-12 Center's blog is displayed. It is in bold font because there are unread items in the feed. In the screenshot below, there are 6 unread items. Click Arizona K-12 Center Blog - Technology to see the items.
The new items appear on the right side of the screen. Enjoy reading! If you'd like to go to the original site or posting, click the title of the post or item.
You can add another feed by clicking Add on the left side of the screen. Add as many feeds as you want at no extra charge.
Here are some feeds to get you started:
LearninginHand Blog - My site for handheld computing in education, including Palm handhelds, Pocket PCs, iPods, and podcasting. http://feeds.feedburner.com/learninginhand
TonyVincent.info - My less-formal blog that brings together my news stories, quotes, photos, bookmarks, and more. http://tonyvincent.info/rss
You can log into Bloglines from any computer. Each time you do, your feeds will show up on the left side of the screen. If there are new items, the feed will be in bold font. You can also log into Bloglines.com from your handheld or mobile phone browser and Bloglines will format itself to fit the tiny screen. Your RSS feeds can go with your everywhere!
I think Bloglines is a terrific tool for educators. I recommend making Bloglines your top bookmark so you remember to check it. If you become like me, it will be the site you go to way more often than any other.
, XML 
, or syndication icon 
. Virtually all blogs and news sites have RSS feeds. Instead of checking each site individually, I subscribe in Bloglines and read all of them there. In fact, currently my Bloglines account is following 154 feeds. It would be insane to bookmark and manually check each of those 154 sites. Bloglines brings that content to me.
