Apparently, I've made a couple converts with last night's quick commentary on tech blogging being bent on the concept of maintaining a link blog, judging from comments and emails. Jeffr0, for instance, asked for an easy way to create a linkblog, as I described. It's actually quite simple, barely warranting a blog post on it, so I'm going to take it a step further, and show you how to create a custom river (ala Techmeme) as well.
First, you need to be using Google Reader. I'm not sure why you're not using it to begin with, if you're not. It's just hands down the best reader utility for the power blogger.
Second, take note of two particular features - the shared items feature, and the tagging feature. The beauty of these features is the fact that you're able, with a couple of keypresses, very quickly add items to an RSS feed. Here's how mine are set up:
I use my shared items button to generate the
Rizzn Network Link Blog. I simply took the RSS feed that gReader generates (which can be found under the tag settings link, in your gReader Settings), and threw it into a FeedBurner setup. What you do with that feed, after that, is up to you. I personally ran it through my HTML display scripts to integrate it with my website, but you could also do what Robert and Todd do, and simply link it in your sidebar for others to subscribe to.If you want to take it a step further, and provide a "River" of source material you use, you can make use of a Yahoo Pipe I set up today (or you can use any other number of feedmixers out there).
Unfamiliar with the concept of a "River?" Well, if an RSS "Stream" follows one blog, what do you call a bunch of "Streams" combined? A River, of course. One of the things that makes TechMeme useful to tech journalists is that as TechMeme discovers a new post in one of it's seed streams, it posts it shortly thereafter to the River. As far as I know, TechMeme doesn't have a monopoly on the concept of a River, though. I'm working on a River interface for the Rizzn Network, but using my pipe, you can chain together ad infinitum multiple RSS feeds, and display or use them how you like on your own website.
Just some starting points. I'm tired, little baby Jacob kept me up late last night, so I'm gonna go take a Sunday nap. This ought to keep you busy for a minute though. :)
/rizzn
Want to be part of the Rizzn-ite army? Indoctrination instructions here.
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