What do we use the Internet for, exactly? One of the key uses is to extract the latest news and information, either through news pages or by following a blog. However, there are so many news pages and blogs, it's hard to keep up. One answer is to use a RSS news reader that will enable you to subscribe to your favourite news sites and blogs and then browse the headlines, when required.

GreatNews 1.0 build 379 is a fantastic freeware news reader. Subscribe to your favourite news and blogs and keep up to date. It will also allow you to read the news within GreatNews, so if you want to read more than just the headline, click the headline and you'll find the news page appears within the application, so you don't need to worry about opening a web browser.

There's just so much content on the Internet, how do you filter through the wheat from the chaff to find the best stuff? You could start by concentrating on your strong subject areas. If you're in to biking, then you could simply search for the biking websites, then follow the 'recommended links' which you'll find on most information portals. You'll soon build a database of important biking websites.

Searching for for a website isn't always the most productive way of finding the best sites around at the moment. Why not let someone do the hard work for you?

The Technical Lists are a collection of the 'best of' in particular areas. For instance, 450 of the best freeware utilities or the best Firefox extensions. How about the best online file transfer services? Each list is designed so you can quickly find the application or site you require. If you want an application to notify you when you have new email in your Gmail account, the best solution is provided.

For more information, head to the Technical Lists website.

“How to Blog” is a handy resource for anyone wanting to upgrade and improve their personal blog. Run by blog priestess Emily Robbins, the site offers a wealth of tips and tricks to help you gain exposure in the blogsphere. This week, Emily has kindly posted a list of 745 free Wordpress 1.5 and 2.0 templates for users to download and use at their leisure. From the simple and uncluttered to the complicated and tech savvy, there’s bound to be a template to suit your blogging needs.

Get them here.