What are these RSS Feeds

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What are these? - RSS Feeds
Syndicate Me
Podcast
Subscribe
RSS Feed
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I need one of those? - RSS Reader
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RSS - Really Simple Syndication

• Earliest use appears in 1999
• Simple way to publish regularly updated listings
  of news content
• Adopted by blogging tools
• Also known as Rich Site Summary
• Simple, robust technology

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Lets Make it Simple

• A RSS-enabled website
• Is one you can subscribe to!
• You use a piece software called an aggregator to
  subscribe to and read RSS content
• RSS automatically lets you know when new
  subscription content is available
• Any type of regularly updated web content can
  easily be made available as RSS
• New Mantra Surf-Search-Subscribe
• Steve Matthews, Vancouver Law Blog

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What is it Good For?

• Can relieve email overload
• Do you forget to visit your bookmarks?
• Keeping track of new content
• Aggregation and automation of research tasks
• Useful for Content Providers
• Makes content available for syndication
• Makes content available to interested subscribers

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RSS is XML
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Several RSS Formats

• Atom
• RSS .91
• RSS 1.0
• RSS 2.0
• Most RSS software can accommodate all of these
  formats
• Dont let a vendor tell you RSS is hard to
  implement

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RSS Readers (Aggregators)

• Allow you to subscribe to RSS content
• Format RSS content for reading
• Available as
• Desktop Applications
• Web-based tools
• Browsers Plug-ins/Toolbars (Firefox, Safari)
• Integrated within Email Programs
• A holding tank for updates until you are ready
  for them

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Portable Aggregation

• Subscriptions are portable
• Import
• Export
• Uses OPML Format (Outline Processor Markup
  Language)
• You arent tied to a single reader
• Useful For the Future
• Create customized, focused research feed bundles
  for researchers/clients
• OPML is easily imported into most RSS compliant
  software
• Example

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Blogs

• The most popular RSS application
• Short for Weblog
• Professional vs. Personal
• A lot of useful information and observations from
  quality sources
• Every talking head in any profession will soon
  have a Blog
• Sometimes you want to follow what those talking
  heads are saying

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Finding RSS Blog Content

• General Web Browsing - look for the icons
• RSS-only search engines technorati, blogdigger,
  feedster, google blogsearch
• Discovery by Browsing using the HTML link tag
• title"Atom"
• href"http//librarianinblack.typepad.com/libraria
  ninblack/atom.xml" /

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Query by RSS

• Save your query as an RSS feed Google News
  Example
• Automatic notification of new matches
• Opensearch RSS based standardized query syntax
• Hubmed
• Alternative interface to Pubmed Central
• Save a query as RSS

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Keyword Feeds

• Create RSS feed bundles specific to your research
  task
• Example
• Beta tool created by Research Buzz
• Called Kebberfegg -- Keyword-Based RSS Feed
  Generator
• Import generated feeds into your aggregator
• Found Via LawLibTech

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Syndicating RSS

• Repackage content
• Pull outside content into a
• Intranet
• Subject Guide
• Organizational Portal
• Personal Portal
• Examples
• Google Personal Homepage
• My Yahoo Page

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RSS and the Mobile Internet

• Wireless devices/handhelds are gaining popularity
• RSS is well-positioned
• It is platform neutral standards based
• Deliverable on any Internet ready device
• Cell Phones
• Blackberries
• Whatever comes along in the future

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RSS and Podcasts

• A podcast is a RSS feed with audio/video content
• You subscribe to it in the same manner as other
  RSS feeds
• Your aggregator must be enabled for podcatching
• Download of A/V Material
• Content Transfer to Media Player
• Most but not all aggregators are
• ITunes does podcasting
• FeedStation
• Examples
• NPR Programs

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Publishing your own RSS

• By hand, you can edit XML in any text editor
• How would I do this on my own?
• Free Online Services
• Blogger
• Typepad
• How would I do this at the office?
• Organizational Blogging Software
• Movable Type
• Wordpress
• RSS support is available in many CMS systems now

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Future Directions for RSS

• Customized current awareness feeds
• Feed Bundles for Clients/Co-workers
• Create an easily imported bundle of content
• Government Information
• Any type of PR
• MS Vista/Longhorn Integration Spring 2007
• RSS will be an integral component of the new
  Windows coming next spring/summer

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The New Internet Enter Web 2.0

• Services vs. Static Content Consult Discover
  Magazine for an introduction
• Interactive, user driven web applications
• RSS Blogs Wikis Blikis
• Tagged Materials
• Del.icio.us - Social Bookmarks Manager
  http//del.icio.us/tag/rss
• Flickr Photos http//www.flickr.com/photos/tags/
  flatironbuilding/
• Technorati Blog Content http//www.technorati.co
  m/tags/rss

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Questions?

• Kevin Reiss
• Systems Librarian
• CUNY Graduate Center
• [phone]
• kreiss_at_gc.cuny.edu