Thing #4: Will this really help me keep up?

I've used Flipboard for a number of years. I like it. I spent a lot of time loading it up with all the topics I'm interested in. I only look at it when I'm bored.

I'm not sure if that's because I just haven't developed the habit of opening it when I want my news...or if it's just too overwhelming (even aggregated). I understand that RSS readers are meant to "curate" us away from information overload, but I think it does just the opposite for me. Now I feel guilty if I don't look at all the stuff I've called into my feed. It's like I'll always be behind, never know all the things I want to know, and not understand half of the things that come to me anyway.

OK. Neurosis aside.

Since I've used Flipboard before, I thought I'd try Feedly for this THING. I've heard of Feedly for years. I know it was used as the backup plan for many who were devoted to the famous Google Reader. Gosh, some folks were rabid when Google Reader shut down. For many library folks I know, it was their umbilical cord to the world of information. I used it, but...well, I didn't really notice it was gone.

I guess I'm fighting with myself. I am very intrigued by new technologies. I might even describe myself as a 'gadget lover' (albeit a lightweight). And yet, I also like picking up the New York Times and getting ink on my fingers. I can't seem to let the width and breadth of the Internet wash over me like so many younger people. I feel it as a burden, instead. I feel like it's my job to know all I can. The volume of information available now--quite frankly--freaks me out. I guess I come from a world where most things can be tamed if just understood. Not so in the modern world...and it makes me feel old. And behind the 8 ball.

Well, I guess I added a bit more neurosis. Back to Feedly.

I've loaded it up on my phone. I've plugged in some blogs I know I like to keep up on. Discovered a few new ones based on my searches of "library", "librarian", etc. And there they are.

I'll try to remember that I put Feedly there. That I made an effort to be informed in my field. That, in order to do so, I need to actually read it. And if it becomes another guilt-inducing excercise, well...so be it. I did my THING. And then I'll delete it.