How to Create an Organized Read/Review List with Del.icio.us and RSS

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My Read/Review list is split almost down the middle between printed articles, papers, etc. and content found on the web (I’m actually surprised by this, given how much time I spend at the computer - I would’ve guessed the vast majority of my list was stuff on the Internet - anyway…). And while it’s easy enough to keep all of my printed materials together for easy access when the time is right, it’s a different story entirely when it comes to website content. I’ve found a way to easily manage (and, more importantly, organize) my Read/Review list. The answer? The one-two punch of the mighty del.icio.us and it’s faithful steed, RSS.

As I’m sure most of you already know what del.icio.us and RSS are, I won’t go into great detail as to their specific functions. If you don’t, go read this article on del.icio.us (after which you’ll probably want to read this one as well) and this article on RSS, then come back and finish this one :)

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “Anybody who’s used del.icio.us for longer than a week or two has a ‘readlater’ or ‘@toread’ tag. Please don’t rehash Bookmarking 101, ok?”. Well, my system is based on the idea of a tag for things you want to view later on (which is sorta funny, since that’s the very essence of bookmarks - the idea that they’ll be revisited), but it goes deeper than a single, and I must say, meaningless tag like “@toread”. For example, a quick look at all del.icio.us bookmarks tagged with ‘@toread’ will yield a pretty long list. Granted, that’s not specific to any one user, but it’s still a pretty gargantuan list in it’s own right.

So what’s a GTDer to do? The answer is fairly simple; so simple that I expect I’m not the first person to think of this. The ability to narrow and organize your Read/Review list comes from (you guessed it) additional tags. And, because del.icio.us provides an RSS feed for just about every page it displays, you have the ability to be as general (or as granular) as you like in your list management. Let’s take a peek at some examples…

I read websites dealing with a variety of topics (technology, Apple, programming, coffee, to name a few). Obviously I’d rather not have my programming reading material mixed in with my coffee articles, so I add an additional tag that will just show me the stuff related to coffee, like so:

http://del.icio.us/inkedmn/readlater+coffee

Yes, it really is that easy. And, if you’re feeling particularly fancy, you can use a theoretically unlimited number of tags:

http://del.icio.us/inkedmn/readlater+gtd+blogs+moleskine

Pretty slick, eh? But the best part is the ability to syndicate any one of these whacky combinations - either by looking for the RSS icon at the bottom of the page, or simply plugging rss/ into the URL before your username, i.e.,:

http://del.icio.us/rss/inkedmn/readlater+gtd+blogs+moleskine

Now, all you need to do is find the various tag combinations that best describe the articles you want to keep lists of, build the URL and plug the RSS URL into your nifty feed reader. And that’s that.

(Oh, and I’m pretty sure none of the above URLS will actually show you anything - my tag convention is a little different - but that is my actual del.icio.us username, feel free to add me to your network!)

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January 17, 2007 | Filed Under GTD, Technology 

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4 Responses to “How to Create an Organized Read/Review List with Del.icio.us and RSS”

  1. Michael on January 18th, 2007

    Excellent article. It has made me revisit using del.icio.us for my bookmarking needs. I am implementing the @toread and @implement tags for my reading. It is starting to work pretty good for me. You can also add me to your network (you should see that I have added you to my network.).

    Great site also. I have been reading your previous posts and thoroughly enjoying them.

  2. Black Belt Productivity » Cranking Widgets Master Speaks on February 28th, 2007

    [...] is an excellent source for GTD and especially, del.icio.us stuff, which is how I came across it. His post inspired me to once again take up del.icio.us for my bookmarking [...]

  3. dandonathan.com » Making Changes on February 28th, 2007

    [...] time, but couldn’t think of a better way to manage them, even with del.icio.us. Today I read this article by Brett Kelley on how he uses del.icio.us and was inpired to give it a try. To really be [...]

  4. Kolz Blog » Blog Archive » Cranking Widgets Master Speaks on March 3rd, 2007

    [...] is an excellent source for GTD and especially, del.icio.us stuff, which is how I came across it. His post inspired me to once again take up del.icio.us for my bookmarking needs. Brett has come to be a good [...]

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