Following on from my last post about understanding what social networking is all about, here’s a fantastic resource which explains RSS in the simplest way possible. The short video has been put together by the Common Craft Show to help people understand what RSS is and how it could help them.

Play video

I’ve had countless conversations with people where I’ve tried to explain RSS and been met with blank faces – but this video should put an end to that. The simple, visual approach cuts out the jargon and any confusing technology…and all done without a PowerPoint slide in sight!

If you’re confused by the idea of social networking or haven’t a clue what people mean when they ask, “Are you on Facebook?” then you’d do well to read Are you connected? This Guardian article gives a quick profile of some of the main social networking sites: Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, Second Life and Twitter.

If you do venture into social networking by signing up one of these sites – or any other one – then take a look at the accompanying article The dos and don’ts of social networking online.

For me, the golden rule that people often forget is that it’s quite common for potential employers to look at your profile on social networking sites to see if it backs up what you say in your CV. So photos from a drunken night out might be amusing for you and your friends, but is it something you’d want your potential boss to see when making the decision whether to hire you?

Over the last few months I’ve been involved in developing www.caringchoices.org.uk, a website that supports a new initiative to help shape future policy on long-term care for older people. The organisations behind the initiative include the King’s Fund, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Age Concern and Help the Aged.

During the course of this year there’ll be a number of Caring Choices events at which older people and those involved in the long-term care system will be able to share their views on the future of long-term care funding. As these events will only be able to reach a limited number of people, the aim of the website is to open up the debate to a much wider audience. It’s set up as a blog, so people can leave comments on articles and easily keep track of the debate by signing up to the web feed or email updates.

If you’re interested in finding out more, take a look around the website!