<span style="font-weight:bold;">Part 1: RSS feeds</span><br /><br />The tools are out there, and more importantly, they are easy to use. I wanted to share with you tools that I use on a daily basis that keep me sane. This, and the soon to be released, “Part 2: News Alerts” are both great ways for you to keep up-to-date in your industry and your life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">RSS feeds</span><br />These are a big help if you check multiple websites or blogs, daily or weekly. Instead of going to your favorite web hot spots for news, RSS feeds allow the news to come to you.  A good way to illustrate this is your email inbox: <br /><br />Imagine checking multiple email inboxes depending on who sent you a message. For example, to find out if your friend, Theodore, sent you an email – you would go to his specific inbox to see if he sent you anything new. Pretend that you had to do that with every one of your contacts, multiple times a day.<br /><br />This may seem silly, but if you are not using RSS feeds, this is how you are currently getting your news. Instead of checking multiple sites and blogs in hopes of new information – you can let your news come to you. You will tailor your subscription list to the sites you visit or the sites you want to stay updated on. <br /><br />Here’s an example of mine:<br /><br />In terms of branding and marketing, keeping up-to-date on what you competition is doing is very valuable. Make sure that your products and services continue to be unique in the eyes of your consumers. Scout the landscape with RSS feeds and stay one step ahead of the competition.<br /><br />To begin, you’ll need to sign up for a free Google account and start exploring Reader (Google RSS subscription monitor). Online instructions will teach you everything you need to set up your subscription list. <br /><br />Post a comment on this blog if you have any questions.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Written by Josh Barker, Brand Iron Brand Wrangler</span>