[FLPERMACULTURE] Set up an RSS feed for this list

[Michael Burns]

On Feb 9, 2007, at 9:00 AM, Myra Sabir wrote:
> what's an RSS feed?

On Feb 12, 2007, at 3:44 PM, bosak at ibiblio.org wrote:
> lists that get a lot of traffic).  So I don't understand the
> advantage of getting an RSS notification instead of the mail
> itself.  Maybe Michael B. can explain this.

  I (an RSS novice) set up the RSS feed using a "feed location" for a  
"live bookmark" in my Firefox (web browser) toolbar this way:

(Mac OSX Firefox)
BOOKMARKS> ORGANIZE BOOKMARKS>
FILE> NEW LIVE BOOKMARKS...

then enter:

Name: fingerlakespermaculture
Feed location: http://www.mail-archive.com/ 
fingerlakespermaculture at lists.mutualaid.org/maillist.xml
Description:

then (with the BOOKMARKS MANAGER window open) move this bookmark into  
"Bookmarks Toolbar" folder.

OR,  go to: http://www.mail-archive.com/ 
fingerlakespermaculture at lists.mutualaid.org/maillist.html
Then place your cursor above the little orange icon in the address  
bar of Firefox. Click on it...


An advantage of RSS feeds is the ability to read email lists via RSS  
(your web browser.) There are so many user environments, use patterns  
and preferences, machines and motivations that I can't easily answer  
this question except for myself. It is far more convenient (for me)  
to click the icons on my bookmarks toolbar to keep up with my most  
useful information.

While all the email list messages still come into my email inbox (and  
still often read from here) so do about 300 other messages a day.  
"Thou doth lay unto squirrels," "Paypal Notfications of service  
interruptus, etc" and other spam still sneaks into my inbox, plus two  
dozen other lists, bills, personal messages, etc. I like the one- 
click convenience of having select blogs/lists/etc. extracted from  
the noise of the internet.

So my "FingerlakesPermaculture" feed icon shares space in my  
browser's toolbar with The New York Times feed, Alternet Video feed,  
DailyKOS feed, and Truthout feed, and so on. I've also setup RSS  
feeds for the "recent changes" page of my classroom's wikispace, and  
for my del.icio.us (social bookmarking) tags and recent entries.

My off-the-cuff permaculture analysis of this design is that I like  
the "Stacking Functions" and "Beneficial Connections" that a feed  
enables ; )  I realize this may blur the difference between websites,  
newspapers, blogs, email lists and such, but not much.

An important distinction is that only members/subscribers can post to  
the fingerlakespermaculture list. Also, through a RSS feed, non- 
members/subscribers can keep up with postings through an easier-to- 
use format than the list archives.

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Michael Burns
http://www.cayuta.org
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Earn your permaculture design certificate.
The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
offers affordable local classes.
http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
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