RSS: Keeping It All Current

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RSS Keeping It All Current

• Computerside Chat
• Southwest Iowa Library Service Area
  August 2007

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What is RSS?

• Really Simple Syndication
• Content in a standardized format
• Allows users to subscribe to the content, which
  is regularly updated and delivered on demand
  and/or
• Content (regularly, automatically updated) can be
  republished on a website

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How can it be used?

• To keep current with happenings and trends in
  libraries and other fields
• To deliver library information and news to your
  patrons convenientlyfor both them and you!
• To keep your website current and fresh

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Keeping Current Yourself

• Blogs
• Weblogs
• Online journals, usually by an individual
• Current
• Wide range of fields/topics
• Wide range of styles
• Automatically generate RSS feeds

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Blog vs. RSS feed?

• A blog contains content, which can be delivered
  to other places on the web via an RSS feed
• All blogs have RSS feeds, but not all RSS feeds
  come from blogs

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Looking for Blogs. in all the right places

• Library Blogs
• ALA Tech Source    http//www.techsource.ala.org/
  blog/
• Tame the Web    http//tametheweb.com/
• YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association)
  Blog    http//blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php
• Internet Public Library's Blog List    
  http//www.ipl.org/div/blogs/

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Aggregators

• Software tools that automatically get content of
  blogs and other RSS
• Delivers content to your computer, for YOU to
  read at your convenience
• Software on your computer, OR
• web-based
• Subscribe to blogs/RSS feeds of your choice

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Subscriptions to RSS feeds

• Similar to magazine subscriptions
• Choose the magazines of interest to you
• Magazines are automatically delivered to your
  mailbox
• Different from magazine subscriptions
• Any new content is delivered to you on demand
• Delivered to your computer

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Web-based Aggregators

• Bloglines
• http//www.bloglines.com
• NewsGator http//www.newsgator.com
• (Yahoo, MSN, etc.)

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Using BlogLines 1. Sign Uphttp//www.bloglines.c
om
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Bloglines Feed List
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Using Bloglines 2Add feed using URL
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Using Bloglines 2Add feeds using Sub button
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Bloglines Easy Subscribe button
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Last subscription step
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Your list of feeds
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Reading your feeds
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Settings, Moving Around
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RSS feeds Another service delivery method

• Blogs automatically create RSS feeds
• Users can subscribe to library blogs to keep
  current with library happenings
• Libraries might use blogs for
• News
• New books
• Special Projects
• Programs
• Book Reviews

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A Library Blog on Blogger
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Creating a blog is easy!

• Creating / hosting blogs
• On your own server
• On someone elses server, at a cost
• On someone elses server, free
• Blogger http//www.blogger.com
• (See module on Creating Blogs
• http//www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/BlogsRA/player.html

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Blogger
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Keeping the Librarys Website Fresh Republishing

• From librarys blog(s)
• From sites that offer feeds

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Examples

• New Books list from Library Thing feed
• Librarys readers advisory blog republished on a
  webpage
• RSS Calendar

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Librarys new books on LT
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Republished on webpage
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A blog
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Republished on a webpage
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In real life
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More republished feeds
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And because

• Its hard to see them on these slides
• Let me show them to you in action!

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Additional info

• For extra credit use Grazr or other utility
  to publish an rss feed on your website (or a
  blog, if your library doesnt have a website) 1
  hour CE credit
• Links and additional information on the Chats
  webpagehttp//www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/CE/computersi
  de/rss.htm