Metrics and Analytics: LJ3

 The readings I chose for this week are "What is an RSS Feed?' by Coletta Whitehead, and the "We Are Data" reading. Both of these readings were highly interested and piqued my interest. 

   Before reading "What is an RSS Feed"?, I had no idea what an RSS feed was. So what is an RSS feed? An RSS feed is a type of internet file that saves and displays data from websites selected by the user in reverse chronological order. As new content is posted to any of the added websites, the RSS feed displays its summary, author, publication date, link, and other information. This web feed system allows users to automatically and centralized access material updates from numerous sources. Knowing how RSS works enables content creators of all genres to navigate digital publication with greater confidence. RSS feeds are powered by basic text files. This method parses XML data, simplifies and streamlines it, and then uploads it to an RSS reader for translation into digital updates. This method transforms simple data into a reliable source of fresh material. Users are therefore kept up to date on the most recent web developments. Whitehead's analysis gives me even deeper insight into RSS. She furthers her explanation by informing me of what an RSS reader is; “ Think of an RSS reader like your email inbox. When you subscribe to the RSS feed for a website, the RSS reader displays content from that website. Use the RSS reader to view the content, or to go to the website. As you read each piece of new content, the RSS reader marks that content as read.” ( Whitehead 2021).

The "We Are Data" reading gave me great insight into the relevance of the "digital footprint". Not only is the digital footprint intriguing, but this reading also shed light on the monetization on social media.“..."monetization has meant that increasing amounts of data are seen by companies…" (Lipschultz, 2021). The act of monetization on social media is completely unethical. The act of selling personal information without the user's knowledge is uncalled for. I believe that policies like these are listed in the "Terms & Conditions" page listed before you create a social media account. The loophole here is that the list is so extensive, that nobody reads them, which allows these organizations to sell personal information right under our noses.