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Using Safari on Macs with OS 10.4 to Manage RSS Feeds
If you are a Mac user using OS 10.4 this couldn't be any easier.
- Keep this window open (so you can read it), and open a new browser window (Go to [File] and down to "New Window") then navigate to http://MabryOnline.org
- In Safari, your browser, you see a little blue RSS icon on the right hand side of the MabryOnline.org URL. (If you don't see it, and you are on the main page for MabryOnline.org, then you are not using Safari on OS 10.4 (known as Tiger) and will have to go to the Firefox section of these instructions.)
- Scroll down to the bottom of the main MabryOnline.org page you just opened, and click on Dr. Tyson's Desk.
- Once you arrive at my blog, click on the little blue RSS icon next the the http://mabryonline/blogs/tyson/ url. It looks just like the one pictured above.
- A new page appears that looks very different and has the URL: feed://mabryonline.org/blogs/tyson/atom.xml. Drag the icon just to the left of the word "feed" in the URL down to your toolbar.
- In the little window that appears, give it a name you will remember, like "Dr. Tyson's blog."
- You're done. To read my RSS feed in the future, just click on the name you assigned it in your toolbar. Do you see why I love a Mac?!
To view your RSS feeds, simply click on the name (in the tool bar) you assigned it. You can get fancy and organize them. It's easy. Let's do it.
Organize your Safari RSS Feeds:
Most people don't organize their bookmarks very well. HUGE mistake. Let's take just a couple of minutes now to save you time and frustration later.
- Click on the tiny open book icon on your tool bar.
- Click on Bookmarks Bar in the left hand column that appears.
- At the bottom of the page you see 2 plus signs, "+".
- Click on the one on the right. No, the other right.
- Name this folder "[your student's name]'s Teachers Blogs."
- In the list on the right of the window you see the name you assigned to my blog when you drug it's icon down to the toolbar. Drag the icon next to it (and each feed url that you put on your toolbar) into the folder with your child's name. Look at your toolbar. Nice, isn't it. Notice, it will even give you a total count in the toolbar of the new posts you have yet to read! Do you see why this is outrageously cool!
Let's get outrageous!
If you're a 10.4 Mac user and you're still with me on this, I'm going to introduce you to an as-yet-little-known feature of OS 10.4 that is really nice. Here are the steps for making the MabryOnline.org site RSS feeds appear as a gorgeous screen saver on your machine.
- First, make sure you have used the above directions to subscribe to MabryOnline's RSS feed. (The directions above specify my blog, you can use that one if you want. Otherwise, subscribe to MarbyOnline.org's RSS feed. Any RSS feed will work)
- Click on the blue apple in the extreme top left hand corner of your screen and select "System Preferences...".
- On the top row you will see "Desktop & Screen Saver." Click on it.
- Make sure the button labeled "Screen Saver" is blue. Click on it if it is not.
- In the list on the left, click on "RSS Visualizer."
- Click on the "Options" button
- From the drop down sheet that appears, select the RSS feed you wish to use. (MabryOnline.org or Dr. Tyson's Blog...)
- Click on the "Done" button.
- Click the "Test" button. Amazing, isn't it!!
- Move the blue button on the "Start screen saver:" timeline to the length of time you want your computer to be inactive before the screen saver turns on.
- Click the red button in the top left hand corner of this window to quit System Preferences. You're done.
Posted by Dr. Tyson
