Internet technology - keeping one step ahead of our kids

** Warning - if you were educated in the '80s and don't really know a Pacman from a Pokemon, you're possibly going to feel just a little out of your depth with all of this computer talk...

But trust me...hang in there...

The newest additions to on-line technology might just change your life - for the better!!

You may have noticed a couple of buttons on Kids First's website called "RSS" and "Share This".

If you are wondering what this new technology is all about - you're not alone.

RSS and Share buttons are a simple and easy way to keep track of your favourite websites and blogs - like this one!

What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and is really just a news feed. It is a simple method used by owners of websites and blogs to let their readers know that there has been an update or an article added to their site.

When we add something to the Kids First website, such as information about a new free Community Service Seminar or School Holiday Workshop, the first few lines of that update automatically appear in our followers' readers.

That way, our followers are the first to know about what is happening at Kids First and they receive priority opportunities to take advantage of our events.

Essentially, RSS feeds are a quick and easy way to keep up to date with all of your favourite websites without having to wade through hundreds of emails and newsletter subscriptions.

There are a number of ways to set up an RSS feed, but the simplest is probably by setting up an IGoogle page on your computer and using it as your home page.

If a website is using the latest form of RSS button, it should click through to the Google reader option automatically and you can easily subscribe to it. From then on, every time you bring up your IGoogle home page, your favourite websites will be listed along with excerpts of their latest articles.

Other free readers available include MyYahoo, Newsgator and Feedburner.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE - SETTING UP YOUR RSS FEED:

 
1. Bring up the Google home page.
2. Click on the "IGoogle" button in the top right hand corner.
3. Go through the steps to personalise your page with backgrounds/themes.
4. Go into "add stuff" to add fun and interesting gadgets and applications.
5. Keep IGoogle as your home page so that whenever you go to Internet Explorer the IGoogle page will appear.
6. Start subscribing to RSS feeds. Click on the RSS feed button of your favourite website and a
box of options will appear. Click on the Google button and then click on the Google Home Page button.
7. The feed will be automatically added to your IGoogle page.
8. Check your IGoogle page each day for the latest website updates.

(Note: some websites still use the HTML code in their RSS feed subscription button - this is more complicated to subscribe to than the modern RSS feed buttons)

What does the SHARE button do?

The SHARE button allows you to save a website or article that you may wish to refer back to one day. These links are stored for easy retrieval on a bookmarking site such as Delicious.com, Stumbleupon.com or Digg.com.

Bookmarking sites are very practical and efficient. They allow you to save all of your favourite websites and articles in one spot out on the internet without taking up room on your own computer's "favourites" list.

Bookmarking sites also let you file things away under certain subjects called "tags" which make them easily found again later. This is important for site like this one, where articles stay visible for a while, but are then archived.

So, instead of losing the helpful resources you've found on this site about school readiness, choosing a school and homework, your bookmarking site could keep all of your Kids First's articles in one place so that when you need to refer to them in the future, the information is instantly available.

You can even go in and search other people's favourite sites and articles if you wish.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE - SHARING

1. Choose a bookmarking site such as Delicious , Stumbleupon  or Digg
2. Set up your free user profile.
3. Go ahead and start using the "Share" button to add sites and articles to your profile.

If you spend a lot of time on the computer, RSS feeds and Share buttons can help you to organise your information, favourite websites and subscriptions easily.

So, why not keep in touch with us at Kids First Children's Services?

If you've read this article and found it helpful - you could even SHARE it or subscribe to a Kids First RSS feed

You'll find our RSS button below this article and our Share buttons on the right of this page.

If you're feeling really adventurous, you can join us on Facebook too!

You never know - in time, you might even be able to keep up with your internet savvy kids!