If you are a windows user you will soon be getting (Nov. 1st?) a new version of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7).   For those of you who like and have grown accustomed to IE6 you have the option of stopping the automatic download of IE7 by downloading this toolkit: http://tinyurl.com/kwkgt

However, check out Micro Persuasion's post about IE7’s revolutionary (for Microsoft) use of an RSS button to subscribe to web pages straight from the browser. In other words, your new windows browser has a built in RSS feed sniffer that checks for RSS feeds from the webpage you are viewing.   

Much like IE7 is doing now, the open source browser Firefox has a bazillion kinds of nifty functionalities, including the tabs (and way before IE7), but since a good chunk of the pc market uses the windows operating system, many more people will discover the power of RSS subscription through IE7.   

Or at the very least, RSS will come to the forefront of web functionality and many more questions will be raised about what you can do with RSS.  To get you started, visit the whimsical and informational post “How to explain RSS the Oprah way.” 

Of course, if you want to make the most of RSS you have to get your hands on a news reader. 

Web 2.0 Logos

Defining an idea or thing is fraught with erroneous assumptions and requires vast amounts of your beverage of choice. Take “Web 2.0” and its multiplying stepchildren “Library 2.0” and Nissan’s “Shift 2.0” (and who knows what other “2.0” descriptions will come down the pipe).

There is something about this shift between what the web was and what it is becoming, and one of my favorite websites, Dion Hinchcliffe’s Web 2.0 blog, has a great post titled, “Review of the Year's Best Web 2.0 Explanations.” Read it, mentally masticate the concepts involved, and see if fits your concept of having an online world that is a socially rich, synchronously connected, and collaboratively enhanced. What do you want it to be?

During ILA in Moscow we of the SPLAT group talked to a lot of folks about news readers and how useful they can be.  Invariably many of you asked, "Which one would you recommend?"   While there are many readers out there, we usually went with Bloglines or Google Reader.  Both have their fans and malcontents, and one of my favorite websites (Lifehacker) has an extensive post about switching from good ol' Bloglines to the flashier Google Reader. 

It's a good post, and has plenty of logic for switching.  But read the comments after the post and you will find another great discussion on the pros/cons of switching (and alternatives to both). 

Sign up with both (or a different one) and play around a bit to see which one feels right, but the key here is to get one!  You will find your web browsing experience greatly enhanced and it's an excellent way of keeping up with the world wide web.

If you’re wondering what Real Simple Syndication (RSS) and News Readers are, the website Back in Skinny Jeans has an great explanation of the above terms in their “How to explain RSS the Oprah way.”

The title may be tongue in cheek, but the concepts explained there are dead on. It illustrates how RSS and news readers work and how you can use them to enhance your web browsing experience. The URL is http://tinyurl.com/lbp5p, or you can go to: http://cravingideas.blogs.com/backinskinnyjeans/2006/09/how_to_explain_.html

For a more techie take on news readers the website TechCrunch has a great overview of available web based readers, complete with a comparison chart of available features. Go to http://tinyurl.com/npr4t
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/03/30/the-state-of-online-feed-readers/ or,

Explore these tools and start putting some order to your web browsing!

August 31 was 3log Day 2006 (the 3 looks like a 'B' in case you’re wondering) where one is encouraged to explore and get to know five new-to-me blogs, and to share five of your favorite blogs with everyone else.   So, in that spirit here are five of my favorite blogs:

1. BoingBoing - "A directory of wonderful things"
2. Today’s Inspiration - "A place for those with an interest in illustration from the 40's and 50's"
3. TechCrunch - "Profiles the companies, products and events that are defining and transforming the new web"
4. Lifehacker - "Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live."
5. David Lee King - "Topics include library website design, management, usability, marketing, experience planning, cool tools, and other library technology issues." 

Find something you like or disagree in your blogxploration?  Leave a comment and let other bloggers know you are out there.  And remember to share your favorites with someone.