Here it is folks, the definitive guide to RSS for beginners:

My good (Australian) friend, and the designer behind this site (and every last scratch of our stunning client work here at Tell Ten Friends) Rob Masefield has just published an incredible tutorial on how to set up a netvibes.com home page, complete with your own favorite RSS feeds:

He takes a very patient step-by-step approach, without getting too complex, and even provides a bit of anecdotal “what is RSS” stuff, in case you don’t know a feed from a chain email. (yuck)*

My advice: follow the links from his post to the tutorial, and skip through most of the stuff on the second tab of the tutorial about tabs, until you’ve got your first tab full of goodies (skip to the third tab once you’ve named your page, but you’ll need that tab info later).

This is great stuff, folks. You can unlock the secret behind the RSS feed, and open a new world of fast browsing, the news you want, and content that is controlled by you. Like a living, ever-changing subscription to every magazine and news source you ever wanted, all on your home page, and just a click away.
P.S. don’t forget to add: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TellTenFriends on your first tab! (Always ask for the business, right?)

*If you’re already familiar with RSS feeds, and you’re still reading this, then God bless you. Please pass the word along and open a friend’s eyes to the world of RSS feeds, and for good measure while you’re at it, make sure they subscribe to your blog.

These are all quite funny, especially when you see them all at once like this. Plus, it has been a really long time since I featured advertising in a post, and I still love a good display ad.

Thanks to Clay of exitcreative for the link and shots:

You almost get the feeling that all of the creatives behind these ads got together for a beer one day…

Need proof that blogs are going mainstream? Look no further than Cardinal Seán of Boston, who created a blog to chronicle his trip to Rome. He says that if the blog is a success, he will continue to use it after his return to stay in touch with his Archdiocese. In his words, takes from his sidebar:

“I want to share with you, Catholics of Boston, my experiences as I return to Rome as a Cardinal and more importantly, I want to share with you a sense of what it is that Boston’s Archbishop does on business in Rome representing the people of the Archdiocese.”
– Cardinal Seán

Smart guy. He’s already posted an extensive photographic tour from “behind the walls” of the Vatican, and even allowed a fellow Bostonian pastor to guest blog about living and working at the Vatican.

But the red-robed Cardinal isn’t the only blogger to start a new online journal and go straight to the “A-list.” Here in Canada, the role of the Governor General has come into question over the years, especially the cost and purpose of travel, etc. In the spirit of transparency and accountability (I presume) Our current GG Michaelle Jean has also created a new blog, as well as an online forum. Link via Kate Trgovac of MyNameisKate.ca, who shares her opinion on what works and what doesn’t about this idea.

Lastly, in a sure sign that blogging and RSS feeds are just one step away from being a household staple, I point you to an article entitled: How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way. Although I think that Stephanie, the author of the post, is using “Oprah” in her headline as a way of generating even more traffic, I have to agree that her explaination is suprisingly lucid and helpful to any newbies out there who still haven’t wrapped their heads around the idea of feeds. In particular, her illustration made a somewhat complex concept seem simple:

(Click image to view larger version)

If Oprah fans, Catholic Cardinals and political appointees are finding blogs and RSS useful, what’s stopping you?