Don Westover Director of Instructional Design Mount Wachusett Community College

What does RSS stand for?

RSS Defined  A family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text.

Web Feed Defined  A data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Content distributors syndicate a web feed, thereby allowing users to subscribe to it. Making a collection of web feeds accessible in one spot is known as aggregation, which is performed by an Internet aggregator. A web feed is also sometimes referred to as a syndicated feed.

Indecipherable Tech-Talk?

The Story

The Players Me (Don) - the user You - the user’s favorite blog/website Paper ball - new content

The Players Me (Don) - the user You - the user’s favorite blog/website Paper ball - new content Basket - RSS Aggregator/Reader

Get Updates on New Content BlogsWebsitesPodcasts

A method of publishing audio on the Internet using RSS. Usually an mp3 file Enclosed in an RSS feed file Up-loaded to the Internet, Read by an RSS feed reader Listened to on a computer Transferred to an iPod/MP3 player. What is podcasting? & What does it have to do with RSS?

The Process Simplified Experience Your RSS feeds Subscribe to RSS feeds Pick your RSS reader

Pick Your RSS Reader Lots of options!

Portal-based RSS Reader Use a portal to read RSS feeds if: You are already using the portal. You want to read just a few RSS feeds. You want an easy way to subscribe to your own feed. Do not use a portal for a large number of RSS feeds. Examples: My Yahoo My MSN Pageflakes

Browser-based RSS Reader Use a browser-based RSS feed reader if: You access your RSS feeds from one computer. You only want to subscribe to a few RSS feeds. Do not use a browser for a large number of RSS feeds. Example: Firefox

Desktop-based RSS Reader Use a desktop RSS feed reader if: You access your RSS feeds from one computer. You like to download your RSS feeds to read later. Examples: Feed Demon - for Windows. Feed Demon SharpReader - for Windows. SharpReader NetNewsWire - for the Mac OS X. NetNewsWire Straw - for Linux. Straw

Outlook-based RSS Reader Use an Outlook if: You use Outlook extensively. You want a universal inbox for and RSS feeds. You like to option to download your RSS feeds to read later.

Web-based RSS Reader Use a web-based RSS feed reader if: You access your RSS feeds from different computers. You prefer to work on web-based systems. Examples: Google Reader Bloglines

Search for RSS Feeds More options!

Personal Web Surfing I think the best approach is just to build slowly. Subscribe to RSS feeds when you surf a website or blog that is interesting. If you surf with Firefox, watch for the orange icon to the right of the address box that shows you a website has a feed. Try one of the services that report on current blogs.

Search Engines MSN Search Engine Feed: Example feed: library instruction Will return any RSS feed files that contains the query terms “library instruction".feed: library instruction Hasfeed: Example hasfeed: library instruction Will return any website or blog that contains the query term “library instruction" and has an associated RSS feed filehasfeed: library instruction Yahoo Search Engine Advanced Search > File Format > RSS/XML Blog Search Engines Technorati IceRocket Bloglines

Directory of Feeds Directories are organized lists of RSS Feeds, websites, or blogs. There are numerous directories on the internet. Websites, Blogs, & RSS Feeds. Created manually or programmatically. Organized by specific topic or general purpose. Personal directory. Your IE Favorites or Firefox Bookmarks. If one keeps an organized list of favorites and organizes that list into meaningful folders, then that is a Directory.

Subscribe to RSS Feeds Even More options! What happened to Chocolate & Vanilla?

Subscribe In General On a website or blog with a feed… Find the RSS or XML button. Right click & copy link location. Paste the URL into your RSS feed reader. OR… Find the button for your particular RSS Reader. Click & follow instructions. Follow Instructions!!! Each RSS feed reader/aggregator is different.

RSS Subscription Buttons

Next Steps? Create your own feeds to deliver information to your patrons. Partial content – Teaser. Gets them to return to your website or blog Full Content Add other RSS feeds to your website.

Library Related Uses Updated Website Content Topic Specific Content Library Blogs Announcements Library Resources/Materials Books New Acquisitions/Titles Top 10 lists by category Portals Provide a list of feeds, directory Incorporate other feeds into website Catalog Search Results Journals Items out/hold lists

Get Creative!

Contact Info Don Westover Director of Instructional Design Rm 344 Mount Wachusett Community College Center for Teaching & Learning