Yes, this week's question may very well be: "Does the use of RSS/RSS aggregators mitigate or aggravate the problem of Information Overload in today's society?" But as VP candidate, Alaska Governor, & hockey mom Sarah Palin said to moderator Gwen Ifill at Thursday's debate: "I may choose not to answer the questions you ask!"
...Well, at least not at first. ;)
- Because how can I answer the question when I can't get on my primary RSS aggregator? Right off the bat, my answer's goin' to be either a Palinesque demurral or a forceful vote for "aggravate!" after the 7th error message. Because whether you're Joe Six-Pack, a hockey mom, or a member of the hated East Coast, it sure is aggravatin' to be overloadin' on error messages and unloadin' on information. You betcha!
But on a normal day, when Bloglines works and I'm not channeling Governor Palin-via-Tina Fey, I'd say RSS aggregators help you cut through information overload. You get the information that you want, and you can pin any items you want to read later. For example, if I read the NY Times film section, I don't have to click through the home page and scroll through all the stories just to get to the ones about film. Don't want to read something? I don't have to!
Now, sure, you could be overwhelmed to see 39 new items in a particular folder. But generally you can tell from the subject line whether it's of interest or not. Where this does get tricky is when you might miss content within a blog; or even the idea that it might be valuable to read that which is not of immediate interest to you so that you stay informed. But if we're strictly talking to the question, then RSS aggregators are part of the solution, not the problem, when it comes to information overload.
So, when Bloglines works, it's downright mavericky. And when it doesn't: well, say it ain't so, Joe!
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