Ah well, RSS is clever you see, instead of email coming at you - it is a way of reliably receiving internet content directly to your desktop and it has more ease, possibilities, without all the spam!
It is not pushy, you only receive RSS messages when YOU want to and they never interfere with your other ways of communicating. It is a way of delivering content from your choice of the best and most relevant websites to your desktop, ready to be read at your convenience.
Why is it so complicated? - Well it isn't really. It is just that there is no ONE leader in the field yet and there are many competitors all hoping to be the preferred choice and therefore extolling their virtues sometimes at the expense of the others.
Please note: When I say 'subscribe' I use the American translation meaning 'a free subscription' rather than the English version where 'subscribe' means 'to pay!'
You see RSS is completely spam-free and user-oriented. What this means is that to start receiving content from an RSS feed you need to proactively subscribe to it; no one can add you to their RSS feed without your permission! (If you have ever been the victim of being remotely subscribed to 'adult' sites you will know what I mean)
Who already publishes an RSS feed?:
In addition, thousands of weblog authors publish feeds to keep themselves better connected to their readers/admirers/critics. Blogs are a driving force behind a recent surge of interest in RSS and syndicated content.
You can unsubscribe to an RSS feed with just a few clicks and the unsubscribe is 100% reliable and safe. When you have unsubscribed you can be sure that you have unsubscribed! (instead of your unsubscribe message being harvested by unscrupulous and spotty people to form a new 'active' mailing list that they can then sell on)
To subscribe to this great content you need to subscribe to an RSS feed using an RSS aggregator, that is a simple tool to use, much simpler than email, but some aggregators are free and some are a paid monthly subscription. (and some will be free until their volumes mean that they can charge for it.)
Soon RSS aggregators will be integrated into all your existing email software. At the moment, I think Feedburner integrates with Microsoft Outlook and the new free email software from Mozilla - Thunderbird ("Reclaim your inbox")already has it's own RSS aggregator-feed.
How do you know which RSS Aggregator is right for you? I would have a look at them all and the first Support team to answer a stupid question politely from you should be the one to go with. I reckon. (The one's that don't answer are usually techies who are too spooked at human contact to answer sensibly.)
I think it is better in these circumstances to start with a paid service and start subscribing to feeds. Eventually you will get to the point where you know what you want and how you want it and then you'll be able to start experimenting with free services and see what suits you best. Of the web-based aggregators - Feedburner is working on a way to transfer your feeds easily should you decide to leave their services - so this might be a good place to start with a web-based service with Bloglines as a close second. Try Vox Lite as a 'Freeware' client-side aggregator.
Just to road-test one of these 'client-side aggregators' I am going to download Vox Lite now and time how long it takes to load some content. I'll be back in a minute...
OK I'm back and it took me fifteen minutes exactly. It would have taken only six minutes if it hadn't been for the fact that I had to download and install .Net Framework 1.1 first! (I'm always so wary of Microsoft as they have never got over installing 'back-doors' in their software so that they can assess your 'needs'. It just so happens that these backdoors are the same ones that let the 'nasties' in.)
Anyway, anything for the cause of science. I downloaded and installed .Net Framework in record time from the developer's site and for once there were no 'You ain't got the right update on this machine you need the four.five.nine.t and this one is only available on Sunday's' message, yet.'
I only stayed to glance at the extensive news awaiting me on Vox Lite (405 unread messages) and this caught my eye. It too made me laugh out loud: http://www.sellsbrothers.com/news/showTopic.aspx?ixTopic=1808 (those of you who have to bounce over a thousand spam a day - most of it from Boca Raton, Florida, will understand!) I can't wait to read the rest.
Once you have got an RSS Aggregator, either on your desktop or web based, everytime you see a little sign like this: 
you can click on it to receive the latest update on whatever news, info, joke is available.
You can also enter the feeds you want to have manually - for example this is our feed for 'Career Coach' enewsletter (the one you are reading!) this is what you'd type in: http://careersnet.squarespace.com/journal/rss.xml for more about linking to us go here.
If you are fed up with missing interesting news because your ISP has put up a 'random' Spam barricade, your Inbox resembles a tropical jungle or you put your favourite items in a folder that you never get round to reading, then finding an RSS Aggregator that can automatically link you with your favourite stuff has got to be a brilliant option! Try it and see.
RSS is certainly going to be the preferred content delivery channel of internet publishers. Next time - we'll look at the business case for RSS - the 'Ultimate Permission Marketing Tool'.
Click here for the remainder of this newsletter
Type in ‘Aspartame’ on the web and you are confronted by hundreds of articles predominantly summarising the dangers of this product. Of course there are some that are ‘Pro’ this ingredient but the overwhelming majority are ‘Anti.’
I first became curious about this ingredient after seeing a friend of mine checking the labels on bottles when we went to the pub. She had to avoid this artificial sweetener – 'Diet' or Aspartame) often found in sugar-free drinks, at all costs.
The reason being that it gave her crippling headaches, nausea, vision problems and a tightening feeling in her throat and neck .She first discovered it when she took her Dad out regularly for Sunday lunch at a particular pub, and a couple of hours after returning home she would have to go to bed. The reason - aspartame in the custard!!
We are a nation obsessed by our weight and being ‘on the large side’ can often be the result of a sugar imbalance. It is not surprising therefore that we seek out sugar-free drinks and give them to our children on the premise that they will help our weight and their teeth. The sad truth though, is that we are pumping ourselves and them full of potentially harmful chemicals. It’s not just drinks about which we should be wary. Aspartame is also found in chewing gums, mints, frozen desserts cereals and over the counter medicines.
The ‘pro Aspartame’ lobby say that you have to drink 100 cans of diet drinks to be affected. Tell that to my friend who just had a bowl of custard! They also claim that three main components of the sweetener are found in natural foods and are therefore safe. That’s a bit like saying monoxide is safe because it contains carbon and oxygen. Methanol (wood alcohol) makes up 10% of Aspartame and is highly toxic, but hang on, it’s in tomatoes and some other fruits so must be safe. Fruits also contain ethanol and pectin, antidotes which prevent methanol from being metabolised into FORMALDEHYDE! These two vital ingredients are missing from Aspartame.
So what exactly have people experienced from this delightful product? Surprisingly, weight gain ( it makes you crave carbohydrates), hair loss, eating disorders, fatigue, mental disorders, hypersensitivity , depression, headaches, dizziness, hyperactivity and the list goes on.
Patrick Holford, one of the UK’s top nutritionists sees many people in his clinics who are suffering with anxiety, insomnia and other disorders. Simply cutting diet drinks from the menu is frequently the answer to these people’s problems. Give it a try, replace yours and your children’s drinks with some water and pure fruit juices and see if it makes a difference to their health.. Cut out refined sugar and go back to other sweeteners like brown sugar, sultanas, honey and maple syrup.
Vanessa Sant Independent Distributor for Forever Living Products. World leaders in Aloe Vera and Beehive Products. 01564 785993 07906 934057 email jeff.sant@btinternet.com
Ed: By the way, all of Tesco's own brand cordials are Aspartame-free and one of Robinsons! If you think you have any of the symptoms described, particularly a craving for any 'diet' product, then check the label and give it up for 60 days. Can't give it up - Ask yourself why?
Job and career change mistakes cost thousands of pounds and they’re easy to make. Bob was unemployed for six months. He answered every advert he possibly could and talked to his friends and even got some interviews, but no job offers!
Discouraged he came to see us and to find out what he was doing wrong. Not much only one thing. One simple thing! Actually it was mistake No 3 in the last Greatest Career Change Mistakes article)
We identified it, Bob corrected it and he won his very next interview. If he had only known this mistake in the first month instead of the sixth, he could have saved himself twenty thousand pounds of unemployed time! Bob did the very best that he could. It is just that no one ever taught him how to job hunt.
Jill was stuck in a job where she was underpaid, bored and run ragged by a group MD who made the job even worse. For eight and a half months she had been sending out her CV, networking and contacting recruiters. Her self esteem was drooping day by day, and, her performance on the job and in interview was slipping. She couldn’t afford to resign because she needed the money.
She came to us exhausted, worried that her services might be dispensed with anytime. The stress of working and job hunting had given her two colds and one flu already. In one career change session we analysed what had gone wrong, and a few sessions more corrected it In ten weeks Jill had a new job and £1860 a month more. (it was mostly Mistake 6) (That meant that during the eight and a half months she spent doing the job hunt wrongly she lost £34760.)
Lots of people make lots of career change and job search mistakes and never even know it.
This is the story of Sam and her traditional job hunt. Read Sam's story and assess for yourself the career change mistakes she has made and the likely cost to her. Each month, there is a bottle of fine wine for the reader who emails us with the most comprehensive description of the 'mistakes' made and at the end of the serial a bottle of fine champagne for the reader who successfully spots all of them.
Sam always thought that her hard work would pay off in the end. She had worked with ChalksRus.com since 1995 and had done an outstanding job. She had avoided playing company politics, had always been on time and had done the very best job she could, but when there was suddenly a down turn in blackboard sales, the redundancies came and she found herself out of work.
In the past when Sam had looked for a job, there had been no problem. She knew things were however a little tighter in the job market especially in the blackboard trade, which had been experiencing a steep decline over the last five years.
She knew that the first thing she had to do was put together a really good CV as this would be a critical item in her self-marketing and would get her an interview.
Sam decided against getting professional career coaching help at this point. Money was tight and unemployment scary. One of her friends had invested in a good career coach and job-search consultant, but that seemed like a luxury she couldn't afford right now. Instead she went to W H Smiths and bought herself a book on how to do a CV called 'Mega-Brilliant Guaranteed CVs' and began to follow its advice.
Sam's objective was clear. She wanted to continue her career in a moderate sized company, but she didn't want to get stuck in a non-growth area again. She knew that her particular skills were her ability to organise, lead a team and she knew that her prospective employer would want her to take on challenges and get things done.
My Objective: An interesting position where my organisational skills can add value to your company, possibly leading to increased managerial responsibilities.
Sam knew that first impressions were terribly important so she had the CV beautifully typeset on 100 gm paper. She added more detailed information about her responsibilities, qualifications and training and also included a section on references. She had a 1000 CV s printed and 1000 cover letters.
With over ten years experience of making and selling blackboards, Sam felt that she was qualified to do many other jobs too. Whilst she had been primarily responsible for the installation of blackboards she had had considerable experience in manufacturing, maintenance, customer relations, PR and sales. Further she had also dealt directly with teachers on many occasions and felt she knew the best way of working with them. She thought that this was probably a real advantage in her job search. She felt that the quickest way to get a new job in the shortest possible time was to keep her options open, rather than narrowing down to focus on just a few.
Part 1, Part 2 next month. How many career change mistakes can you idenitfy. If you want a crib sheet you can scroll back to last month's article - ten Greatest Career Change Mistakes - it might be on there.
By the way if some of you remember this serial from an unfinished series in our Career Coach newsletter archives, then I think we ought to confess that we drank the champagne working on the story line (career change stories can be very emotional) and lost the plot, literally. Now we are much more mature - we feel sure that we can continue this popular and educational 'bit' part. Don't forget to get your answers in by the end of this month!
Career Change - Work Out Your Salary With Our Salary Review Calculator If you've ever thought about asking for more money, you'll know that it 'pays' to be prepared before you start any discussion about your worth. (every pun intended!)
Rather than wait until your annual career appraisal when feelings might be running high and tensions can reach 'breaking point'. You should pick a humanly good time to ask for that long-awaited salary review.
Before you have that conversation, use this highly useful link to research your potential salary review with our automatic Salary Calculator: www.careersnet.com/misc/salaryreview.pps
Career Change - Classic Military Genius
This is the transcript of the ACTUAL radio conversation of a British Naval ship and the Irish, off the coast of Kerry, Oct 95. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95:
IRISH: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South, to avoid a collision.
BRITISH: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North, to avoid a collision.
IRISH: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
BRITISH: This is the Captain of a British Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.
IRISH: Negative. I say again, You will have to divert your course.
BRITISH: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER HMS BRITANNIA. THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE BRITISH ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS, AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT IS 15 DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.
IRISH: We are a lighthouse. Your call
"COMPETITIVE SALARY"
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.
"JOIN OUR FAST-PACED COMPANY"
We have no time to train you.
"CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE"
We don't pay enough to expect that you'll dress up.
"MUST BE DEADLINE-ORIENTED"
You'll be six months behind schedule on your first day.
"SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED"
Some time each night and some time each weekend.
"DUTIES WILL VARY"
Anyone in the office can boss you around.
"MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL"
We have no quality control.
"CAREER-MINDED"
Female Applicants must be childless (and remain that way).
"APPLY IN PERSON"
If you're old, fat or ugly you'll be told the position has been filled.
"NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE"
We've filled the job; our call for CVs is just a legal formality.
"SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE"
You'll need it to replace three people who just left.
"PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST"
You're walking into a company in perpetual chaos.
"REQUIRES TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS"
You'll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.
"GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS"
Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want and do it.
Job and career change mistakes cost thousands of pounds and they’re easy to make. Bob was unemployed for six months. He answered every advert he possibly could and talked to his friends and even got some interviews, but no job offers!
This is the story of Sam and her traditional job hunt. Read Sam's story and assess for yourself the career change mistakes she has made and the likely cost to her. Each month, there is a bottle of fine wine for the reader who emails us with the most comprehensive description of the 'mistakes' made and at the end of the serial a bottle of fine champagne for the reader who successfully spots all of them. 
My Objective: An interesting position where my organisational skills can add value to your company, possibly leading to increased managerial responsibilities. 
Career Change - Work Out Your Salary With Our Salary Review Calculator If you've ever thought about asking for more money, you'll know that it 'pays' to be prepared before you start any discussion about your worth. (every pun intended!)
This is the transcript of the ACTUAL radio conversation of a British Naval ship and the Irish, off the coast of Kerry, Oct 95. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95:
"COMPETITIVE SALARY"
"DUTIES WILL VARY"
