Flying beneath the radar

I finally got with the program and subscribed all my favorite blogs to the RSS feature that comes with Outlook 2007. In case you don't know what that means, basically my email program searches each time it checks mail for updates to the list of internet sites I've subscribed to, and delivers the item to my inbox, to a folder with subfolders for each site.

I notice it slows my computer and Outlook down a bit while it checks--about half a second for each blog, I think. That means for about 15-30 seconds every 10 minutes or so, my computer does a little extra thinking. Doesn't seem noticeable while I'm working. I wonder if there's even an option where I can have it check RSS feeds only once or twice a day.

The point is productivity and distraction. I anticipate seeing each day who has updated their blogs, what you had to say, and so on. As a work-from-home person, it is a way to have a bit of community during the quiet days. I feel I've gotten to know many of you bloggers pretty well this way, and with the added interaction of the comments, it even seems like I have "coworkers" many days. It's not a perfect system, but it beats total isolation for this writer, who loves quiet, loves working alone, but still gets lonely sometimes.

The miracle of RSS, though, means I can let my software do the checking. I'm not wasting big chunks of time several times a day clicking through my links and favorites to see who's put in an appearance, and that translates into more time to actually ... WRITE. Can't be a bad thing, right? I can also save entries that look interesting but I don't have time to read right then for later. I can also COLLAPSE the folder and ignore the fact that there are a bunch of new postings waiting for me to read until I give myself permission.

I think this will be a good thing. Of course, maybe every time I encounter a new blog I like, I'll add it to the feed and then I'll have five hundred gazillion entries to read every single day and it'll become counterproductive. But, I choose to think it's going to be positive.

So ... if you are a psycho stats checker and like to see where your traffic's coming from (cough, cough, I never do that, cough, cough), rest assured I'm still reading your blog, I'm just not showing up on your stats. If you are in the list on the right, you have a cozy new home in my Outlook folders. And not to worry, I love to leave comments, so if something strikes my fancy, I'll mosey over to the real thing and leave a praise, suggestion, deep thought, or snide remark. :)

That said, I'm curious how many folks read my blogs through RSS. Do you? Drop me a comment or email if you do and you aren't shy.

Now, back to work. I received the gift of a promising new critique relationship last week, and I've got work to do! Oh, yeah, and there's that contract work giving me ugly, jealous looks, too. (Go 'way!! Leave me alone! ;)