This article isn’t for all you Firefox using RSS fiends out there. If you’re already up to date on the best ways to surf the web then you’re probably better off skipping this post and checking out the site’s other content.

That being said, if you’re still using Internet Explorer and haven’t heard of RSS feeds and social bookmarking, the tips in this post will get you up to speed. The truth is most people don’t use the web as effectively as they should. Nearly all my friends outside the engineering world (and many within it) are totally ignorant of these completely free technologies that can save you loads of time. If you’re a person who works on a computer all day, this is a no brainer.

Use A tabbed Browser

Do you ever get annoyed by having too many open windows? Using tabs completely solves this problem. It allows you to open multiple web pages within a single browser window. This is a huge time saver. There are many reasons to upgrade, but this is the biggest. I started using Firefox last year and I’ll never go back. You can download Firefox here for free. Installation is automatic, takes less than 5 minutes, and automatically imports your IE bookmarks.

Another great thing about Firefox is that tons of plugins are available. These are add-ons that let you do things like download several files at once or use your browser as a dictionary. For the sake of simplicity I’ll let you discover these on your own.

Use RSS Feeds

Reading multiple websites can be quite cumbersome. For each new page you have to find your bookmark, click on it, and wait for the page to load. Using RSS is an easy way to streamline your web surfing.

RSS works by using a feed reader to compile content from all the sites you read in one central place. With your feed reader you can read all the headlines from the NY Times, ESPN, and other favorites sites without having to move between pages.

There are many alternatives, but I use GoogleReader, and I’ve read it’s one of the best. If you have a Gmail account there is no reason not to. There are also equivalent readers for Yahoo and MSN and numerous stand alone applications like NewsGator and Bloglines. You can also incorporate RSS into your Google, Yahoo, or MSN home pages. Once you start using RSS, it eliminates the barrier between you and information you want. You’ll find yourself reading more in less time and finding new sites.

If you’re interested in RSS, but aren’t completely sold yet, check out this list of reasons why RSS puts control back in the hands of the user by Copyblogger. Hopefully once you start using RSS, you’ll subscribe to my feed by clicking on the pretty orange RSS button at the top of the sidebar.

Social News and Bookmarks

Google is still the best option when you want to find something specific, but what about those times when you want to find something interesting, but you aren’t sure what? For this purpose social news and bookmarking sites are great.

The way social news works is that users submit stories that other users have the option of voting on. If you go to the popular pages of these sites you can find the items that other users found most valuable. This puts the power in the hands of the people. Each popular story is something that a real person enjoyed, not a computer program. The content of these sites includes everything from cool videos to breaking news.

My favorite social news site is Reddit. Another extremely popular site is Digg, which is technologically oriented. If you’re feeling adventurous, try StumbleUpon, which lets you to choose a category and sends you straight to a new site. I can’t tell you how many cool things I’ve found this way that I never would’ve otherwise.

The other side of social media is bookmarking. Sites like del.icio.us allow you to save all the pages you want and label them with helpful tags. With del.icio.us you can easily organize and save many more pages than you can with regular bookmarks. The del.icio.us popular page displays the items saved by the most people.

To help my readers share my articles with others, I’ve placed links at the bottom of each post to make it easier to save them to Reddit, del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon.

Well, I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you. This is more than enough information to send you on your way to funner faster web browsing. If you follow the suggestions I’ve made in this post you’ll be web savvy in no time.

Anyone who reads much online has noticed the amount of attention paid to blogs has skyrocketed over the past few years. In fact, if you are reading this via the Problogger writing project, it’s likely the boom has motivated you to start a
blog and grab a piece of the action for yourself.

Blogging has evolved from the largely ignored rambling of internet geeks into a versatile publishing platform used by giant corporations and individuals alike. Whether you do it for money, networking, or fun, anyone can start a blog, and sometimes it seems like everyone has. Of course, the vast majority of bloggers toil in obscurity and eventually abandon their dreams of internet stardom. So what separates the giants from the dwarves?

I have observed two areas where the best of the best distinguish themselves. The first is early entry. The majority of extremely popular blogs have been operating for two years or more. These visionaries saw the potential of blogging before anyone else and entered the market when competition was sparse. They’ve been spending the past few years mastering the blog game and building reputation and authority. It’s no wonder they beat the pants off beginners like myself.

And this brings us to the subject of the article. Most of us got into blogging to make it big. For this to happen we’ll have to recognize the next big thing before everyone else, just like today’s blog superstars did a few years ago.

Without further adieu, I present my prediction for the future of internet media.

The Age of the Independent Superstar

The emergence of blogs has given the individual a voice. One person, with few resources, can command as much attention as the titans of industry. Video sharing sites like YouTube have given the individual a face and a personality. In the future, the prominence of the individual will grow, perhaps until it surpasses traditional media. We are no longer dependent on traditional media for exposure. But of course, the result of these low barriers to entry is intense competition.

This brings me to my second observation on what separates the top bloggers from the pack: unique style and charisma. Although the information contained in a particular blog may be valuable, it is certainly not unique. Anyone else can republish it and many do. We don’t keep reading our favorite blogs for the informational content. We keep reading because we admire the writer, because we feel a deep personal connection that creates trust and respect. This unique connection cannot be duplicated, and that is what elevates the best bloggers.

As I said before, the future of internet media is the individual. Those who attain great success will utilize many forms of media (writing, images, audio, and video, to name a few) to share their immense personal charisma and build huge followings. If you want to make it big, I suggest using these tools to share yourself, the best, most unique, most exciting parts of yourself, with the world.

So there’s my opinion. What will you do to separate yourself from the pack and attain blogstar status?

Bonus Content – Three Personal Pet Peeves in Blogging

1. Overmonetized Low Traffic Sites – I constantly see sites stacked with ads only to find that they’ve only been running a few months and have very low traffic. Please stop doing this! First of all, it’s a terrible eye-sore, nothing puts me off more. Third, you are really hurting yourselves. People are put off by ads on small sites. This kills your traffic! If you want to make significant money you need to build up traffic first, then monetize. Shoemoney says 1,000 uniques per day is his benchmark for when a site is ready to be monetized. He seems to know a thing or two on the subject.

2. Repetition – The big sites are just as bad as the small ones about this. For the love of God, stop repeating each other. It doesn’t help to build readership, it’s just really annoying. If you feel compelled to write on a big topic at least say something surprising.

3. Cheesy List Posts – OK I know these are big traffic grabbers, but I’m begging you, at least mix it up occassionally. I’m looking at you Ririan Project. These posts are mostly compilations of unoriginal material. The blogger barely has to write a word of his own. Show me some wit, some charm, awe me with your talent, but I’ll take anything not in the form of a list.

And its Only Getting Better

1. Collaboration – Because of the internet collaboration is possible between individuals in opposite corners of the globe. The increased sharing of ideas and information speeds up the creative process and results in better, faster, more innovative ideas. The collective human intelligence is overclocked like never before.

2. Low Barriers to Entry – Anyone can get a free blog or web page to express their ideas and opinions. If you want to run your own site the costs are still relatively small. Compare this with publishing a book or recording a CD. To reach the same audience the costs of production and distribution would be astronomical. Because of the internet voices are heard that never had a venue before.

3. No Censorship – Excuse me, I meant no fucking censorship. The internet gives the individual the ability to publish without the restraints of mainstream media. It ensures unhindered freedom of speech and the sharing of controversial opinions. No longer does having an unpopular idea stop you from being heard.

4. No Corporate Control – If you want to reach a wide audience using conventional media, chances are you will have to go through a large corporation. Once the corporation is involved the focus is no longer the creative work, but making money off it. Your work will be rejected if it doesn’t fit into a clear marketable category. The internet cuts the middle man out of the system and creates a direct link between author and audience.

5. Multimedia – No matter what type of media you use, the internet is a way to showcase your creativity. Be you a writer, artist, musician, filmmaker, or engineer, you can reach your audience. Or even better, combine all your talents into a diverse multimedia experience. Creators are no longer constrained by the limits of a page or recording. The internet has created a new type of artist whose specialty is the synthesis of various media.

We live in a special time in history. The internet has destroyed barriers to thought and creativity that were previously insurmountable. And this is only the beginning. We have emerged from the stone ages of internet infancy and can see the light of day. If the great minds of the past were alive today, they would be publishing online. It is our duty to get the most out of our intelligence using this awesome tool.