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Internet News

10 Great RSS Feeds to Keep Up with Internet Service Providers

“Really Simple Syndication”, or “RSS” has been compared to a personalized wire service, and that is an apt description. RSS might also compare to the way executives are accustomed to receiving their information, in an edited and concentrated form, with constant updates available. Most RSS feeds are free, and almost all of them contain interactive and social-networking features. Ultimately, it is the reader who chooses the content of any particular feed, but each provider has a certain personality that suits a certain segment of the Internet community. Presented here are some points of interest and some examples of some really simple syndicates.

  1. Google Reader – Google touts its Google Reader as providing a “greatly simplified reading experience”, and an easy method of keeping related interests categorized.
  2. MySyndicaat – Sifts through multiple news sources and displays relevant content that has been filtered to avoid redundancy.
  3. FeedDemon – FeedDemon is versatile, and can synchronize with Google Reader, which gives the subscriber a well-rounded product, tailored for personal style and enjoyment.
  4. FeedCamp – The “Granular News Aggregator”, FeedCamp is formulated around the idea of building with blocks of knowledge accessed through its timely sources.
  5. Bloglines – Recently acquired by MerchantCircle, Bloglines tracks favorite websites and blogs in real-time, and lets the subscriber set customized dashboard settings and widgets to create a user-friendly environment.
  6. The Simple Dollar – As the name suggests, the Simple Dollar is a compendium of related financial information, and appeals to those who need to keep a close eye on current financial situations.
  7. FreeRange WebReader – This free web-based RSS reader is designed for telephone use, and is available for many models, including Blackberry.
  8. MyAlltop – MyAlltop says it is a personalized magazine rack, and quite the magazine rack that would be, with over 32,000 sources available.
  9. Apple RSS Feeds – Subscribers can choose from a menu of information offerings, including titles like “Top 10 Free Apps” and “Top 10 Paid Apps”.
  10. Bit Torrent – Applications are available through BitTorrent that support RSS, allowing for automatic downloads of peer-to-peer files as soon as they are picked up by the RSS reader.


There are so many choices when selecting RSS feeds that it is nearly impossible to attempt to keep up with them all. Choose from among those that seem best tailored to your interests, and review the sources periodically to further refine your reading. Well managed, the RSS concept allows the reader to range far and wide and deep in any given subject matter.

10 Places to Get News from ISP's

Internet Service Providers (ISP's) offer more than just an Internet connection to their subscribers, and among those offerings are news and entertainment features. Most ISP's rely on an aggregator approach to news presentation, that is, they provide content that the ISP has culled from many outside sources, including other Internet providers, newspapers, magazines and television. For example, AOL, which has an aggregator service, allows it's users to design their own homepage, so they receive news geared to their individual tastes and needs. Below are some of the sources available on the Internet, many of which will be used by other news services and ISP's.

  1. Yahoo! News – http://news.yahoo.com/ Yahoo! News is an aggregator, meaning it serves up a menu composed of many different news sources, and even allows users to customize their service. Yahoo! Finance is available for a more focused look at economic news and trends.
  2. Google News – http://news.google.com/ Google News is another aggregator, and has been providing news since 2002. Customers like its adaptability and interactive qualities.
  3. New York Times – http://www.nytimes.com/ The New York Times has been the leading hard-copy newspaper in the country for years, and has also provided the top-ranked online newspaper service since 1996. The company motto: “All the news that's fit to print” applies to Internet as well as hard-copy services.
  4. CNN – http://www.cnn.com Cable Network News (CNN) was the first 24-hour  all-news television station, started by media mogul Ted Turner in 1980, and CNN added a popular online presence in 1995.
  5. MSNBC – http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ msnbc.com is jointly operated by NBCUniversal and Microsoft, and is a separate entity from MSNBC cable television. The highly-ranked news aggregator offers original reporting as well as news from wire services and other sources.
  6. Digg – http://digg.com Digg concentrates on news of a social nature. Recent stories include “7 Female behaviors that Baffle Men” and “The 10 Hottest Women Over 50”. You'll have to read the articles to find out the results.
  7. Washington Post – www.washingtonpost.com Since 1996 the Washington Post has maintained an Internet presence, and the online version of the newspaper reflects the hard copy in its immersion in national political news.
  8. USA Today – http://www.usatoday.com/ The online site of USA Today follows in the hugely successful footprints of the parent newspaper, a paper that consistently challenges the New York Times for largest circulation in the country. The site features easy-to-read fonts and graphics, and utilizes multiple sources for the stories that it covers.
  9. Huffington Post – www.huffingtopost.com The Huffington Post combines the services of a news aggregator with popular blogs and editorials, usually with a liberal slant.
  10. Fox News – www.foxnews.com Fox News provides a counterweight to the Huffington Post, as most of its numerous op-ed newscasters and writers usually take a conservative stance.


Your own provider will offer news from varied sources, and most will allow the user to customize the content that they will receive, so it's like reading a newspaper tailored specifically for each individual.
10 Secrets to Ordering Mobile Internet Service

We have internet access at home, at school and at work. We can also find it at a coffee shop, restaurants, motels and libraries. In spite of all these areas of access, there are times when we wish we could access the internet and aren't able to. To solve that problem, mobile internet service fills the gap. It can allow you to work on your laptop while riding in a car or bus. It can provide access from a park or someone's home that does have wireless access. The more dependent we get on the internet, the more important it becomes to us to be able to access it from anywhere, at any time. Below are ten secrets to ordering the right mobile internet service for your particular needs.

  1. Contract Terms – Just as with mobile phones, mobile internet's best prices often come with a long-term contract of one to two years. Those contracts (like the phone contracts) often mean that you receive free or reduced prices on the hardware for connecting to internet on these plans. Virgin Mobile, however, provides a reasonably priced pay-as-you-go plan for those who don't need to mobile access on a continual basis.
  2. Connection Speed – What kind of connection speed will you be accessing on the service that you are considering? Is it a 3G network or a 4G network. Will it be sufficient for your needs?
  3. Data usage limits – Most mobile internet service have a monthly cap on data usage. Consider whether that will be an issue with your expected usage.
  4. Multiple devices – Most mobile internet devices are intended for simple connecting one device, a laptop or notebook, to the internet, but there are other options. Mobile hotspot can be purchased that allow multiple devices to connect to the internet at once.
  5. Available Coverage – Just like cell phones, mobile internet coverage is available in all places, and some services will reach places that others do not. It is important to know if the service you choose will reach the area you need it to.
  6. Occasional or full time user – Will you be needing the mobile access every month, every week or just occasionally throughout the year? This will be one of the biggest factors in determining which service plan and device are the best choice for you.
  7. Sharing – Do you want a mobile internet connection that you can also share with others? There are options that would allow that. Again, it is important to discuss these needs with the service provider before making a decision.
  8. Hardware purchase – In some cases, you will need to purchase hardware in addition to paying for the service connection, at other times the hardware will be provided free with your service contract. There are some cell phones that can be used as a mobile internet connection device for your laptop as well. This would provide one hardware device that fills multiple needs at once.
  9. Overage fees – The data usage limits mentioned above are not always handled the same with every provider. Many of the providers will simply charge you overage fees for going over your limit, just like they do when you go over your cell phone minutes. But there are a few who will simply decrease your access speed to a crawl for the rest of the month, instead of hitting you with additional charges.
  10. Determine your needs – The biggest secret to choosing the best mobile internet service is to determine exactly how often you expect to use it and in what ways. Once you've done this, you can compare the costs of the different services and see which one makes the most sense for the type of usage you require.


Do a thorough search of the options available from the different service providers. Make sure your choice is worth the cost, before you sign on the dotted line.
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