Ever since I started blogging back in 2002, I have always found RSS to be one of the most useful tech tools ever invented.

RSS enables me, you, anyone, to automatically receive new or updated content from anywhere on the web, right on your desktop, laptop or mobile device without having to lift a finger to go and find it. All you need is a feed reader and you’re set. I recommend FeedDemon for Windows and Google Reader on the web (and the mobile version for mobile devices).

So here are five stories from the news, commentaries and opinion that I get in the the RSS feeds I subscribe to, shared via my link blog, that especially stand out to me at the start of this holiday weekend:

PostRank Brings Real-Time Social Monitoring to Your Blog
PostRank Analytics, a service that captures social engagement and traditional metrics in one dashboard, in launching a new beta feature called PostRank Activity Streams. PostRank describes Activity Streams as “FriendFeed for content.” In other words, an ever-changing overview of what is happening… /continue… [I use PostRank: you can see an example of one of its services in the ‘Top Posts’ list in the blog sidebar.]

Non-Profit Uses Foursquare to Raise Environmental Awareness
Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest law firm, has blanketed San Francisco BART trains with posters that instruct riders to check in to the “Earthjustice ad” on Foursquare to help the firm raise money to support its wildlife protection initiatives. The posters take a critical look at e… /continue…

YouTube’s Must-See CSR Picks
Cause marketing isn’t new to YouTube. But some are doing it better than others. Here’s a look at five videos YouTube says companies should watch before launching a corporate social responsibility campaign on the website. /continue…

World Cup Soccer Players Stopped From Using Social Media
In the age of transparency, one workers’ union leader has already ruffled feathers by tweeting updates from negotiations with employers. Now, some soccer sides participating in this summer’s upcoming World Cup 2010 don’t want their tactics s… /continue…

Beyond Beta: Microsoft Tag Takes Off
It has been 18 months since we launched Microsoft Tag, Microsoft’s mobile barcode technology. In that time, more than one billion Tags have been printed by people and businesses all over the world. In the month of April alone, more than 20 million magazines with Tags were in the hands of U…. /continue… [Think also about how mobile barcodes like this can be useful in other areas, eg, business cards.]

[Google Reader icons by super-structure, used under CC.]