When we converted to the new weac.org in February, one of our goals was to use the latest Web 2.0 tools and resources to help you get the information you need quickly and easily.

One of those tools is called an RSS feed. I have heard several different interpretations of what RSS stands for (Really Simple Syndication seems to be the most common), but it really doesn't matter. What RSS feeds do for you is what's important.

An RSS feed is a way for you to find out when new information is posted to  certain areas of weac.org or when, say, a new blog is posted. Instead of you having to go to the the site, you can subscribe to have a notice about the new information sent to you. Very convenient.

In order to receive an RSS feed, you have to create or identify a place for that feed to go. Typically, that would be a news reader, or news aggregator, which is a personalized Web page that you can set up for free using services such as My Yahoo or Google Reader. Some e-mail software, including the most recent version of Microsoft Outlook, will also accept RSS feeds.

I have, for example, set up a Google Reader page for myself. Here is what part of it looks like:

Notice that I am pulling in headlines and news summaries from the weac.org Educators' Bulletin Board and At the Capitol area (in the Issues & Advocacy area of weac.org). As soon as a new item is posted to one of those areas, I can see it on my personalized Google Reader page, without having to go to the site. It's a great shortcut to information. You can subscribe to any variety of RSS feeds, not only from weac.org, of course, but from anywhere on the Internet. This way, you can put together a very personal page filled with notices of information that is of special interest to you; anything from updates on the Milwaukee Brewers to cooking tips.

Now that you have set up your news reader, how do you subscribe to an RSS feed? That part is very easy. Let's use the Educators' Bulletin Board as an example. A little ways down on the left side of the page you will see the RSS Feeds link, along with a standard RSS icon that looks like this:

When you click on it, you will see options for how you can subscribe and send your new RSS feed to your favorite reader. You will also see an option to send your RSS feed to the Favorites section of Internet Explorer or other browser.

On weac.org, so far, we have added RSS feeds to the Educators' Bulletin Board, Issues & Advocacy section, and the Editor's Blog. But we will soon be adding them to many other pages and blogs.

Do you have a favorite area of weac.org where you would like us to add an RSS feed? Please let me know by commenting on this blog or by e-mailing me at hurleyb@weac.org.