If there is one lofty goal that the Internet hoped to fill, it is to inform and educate. If you are a news junkie or if you simply want to have the news come to you instead of you searching for the news, consider tapping into the incredible power of the Internet. There are many different ways you can stay informed on breaking news events locally, nationally, and around the world. The following isn't a complete list, but it is a good place to start if you want to begin using the net for news.
RSS Feeds
An RSS feed is a brilliant invention that allows you to be notified every time your favorite website has new content for you to enjoy. This type of feed works best with blogs that are updated a half dozen times per day. A site like CNN, that is updated several times an hour, can drown a person in RSS notifications. To sign up for an RSS feed, enable them in your browser and then click on the orange triangle RSS logo on any website that you want to be notified about. When breaking news happens, you'll know within seconds.
Twitter is the hottest social networking application on the Internet. It allows you to subscribe to a variety of other users, including major daily newspapers from across the globe, worldwide news outlets, and even local television stations. Most of these news outlets will send out a tweet when a major story breaks, and when something like the death of Michael Jackson happens, you'll likely hear about it from 50 sources all at once. The power of Twitter to follow breaking news is simply unparalleled, and it is now widely considered to be an invaluable news gathering tool.
News Websites
Every major news outlet from CNN to your local weekly paper has a website. Most of these websites are updated throughout the day, every day of the week, to reflect breaking news stories. Granted, some of these stories are nothing more than the latest tale of a cat stuck in a tree, but if those are the types of stories you are looking to follow, then this is the service for you. It only takes a few moments to jump from news website to news website, and you'll always be current on the latest breaking news.
Email Alerts
Almost every major news site allows users to sign up for email alerts. An email alert is sent out when a major breaking news story hits and since these emails can be forwarded to your portable device, you'll never be without your lifeline to breaking news. These services are free for now, although some news outlets have talked about charging for them in the future.
As you can see, there are many different ways in which you can use the Internet to stay current on the latest breaking news. Many of these services only take a second to sign up for and they can pay huge dividends.
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