As reported earlier, Google is starting to roll out RSS feed reading in Gmail for some users.
Details were sketchy, but now Google has posted further details on their help site. Here’s how Google describes Gmail Clips …
“Gmail Clips shows you news headlines, Gmail tips, blogs, any RSS and Atom feed, relevant sponsored links, and more — right at the top of your inbox and messages. Receive updates from your favorite sites without having to leave Gmail!”
Gmail maintains however that the Clips are purely a limited test for now. A small number of randomly selected users are testing the feature, but it may become more widely available in the future. As of right now, I am not one of the chosen ones. However, here’s how you can see if you are Gmail Clip-worthy:
- Log in to your Gmail account.
- Click ‘Settings’ at the top of any Gmail page, and then click ‘Web Clips.’ (You’ll be directed to a list of clips that are currently displayed in your account.)
- Click ‘Add more clips >>.’ A new window will open.
- Click ‘Add’ next to the clips you’d like to view.
- Close the new window once you’ve selected your clips.
* To add an RSS or Atom feed, open the ‘Custom Clips’ tab. Enter the feed URL in the appropriate field, and click ‘Add.’
Sounds great to me. I can’t wait to try it. Is anyone out there Clip-enabled?
Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
