You can follow the link above to the RSS Popper site, but I would suggest downloading it from CNET.com.

With all the talk about Blogs, we can’t ignore one of the best functions offered by the…RSS. Real Simple Syndication (RSS) is an XML document that tells an RSS aggregrator that there is something new on a Blog. If I just lost you, forget all about that tech talk. Just think of RSS as a way to “subscribe” to Blogs and get new posts (whole postings or summaries) sent to a program on your computer.

This is where RSS Popper comes in. RSS Popper is free and integrates with Outlook. While there are definately better aggregators out there, RSS Popper is the most convenient for me. I live out of Outlook and love anything that gets delivered there. Anything that I don’t have to go search for.

Here’s how it works.

1. Download and install the software (shut down Outlook first).
2. Then go to your favorite Blogs (including Podcasts) and look for a syndication link. Usually it looks like a square button that says something like–Syndication, RSS, Atomz (Blogger’s default), etc….
3. Click on the link.
4. Copy the URL in the browser address bar.
5. Open Outlook.
6. Click on the RSS Popper button (this will appear after installing RSS Popper).
7. Choose “Edit Feeds”.
8. Click on the “New” button.
9. Paste the link you copied previously into the “Link” field. The rest of the fields should fill in automatically.
10. Click “Ok”, then “Ok” again.
11. The default settings will make a new folder for the new feed in the “RSS” folder that was created during install.

I suggest that you give it a try. This has made keeping up with my favorite Blogs (and news sites) so much easier and has really changed my view of Blogs as useful in education.