Dell Syndicated Feeds Overview Or What the heck is this RSS stuff, anyway? 29 June 2006

Aggregator XML Syndicated Feed Atom RSS Web Syndication News Reader Web Feed Feed Reader Blog Vlog Podcast 29 June 2006

The Basics You Need to Know A web feed is usually an XML-based file that contains content summaries that tell readers when new content is added to a site and links back to the full version of the content. Blogs and news websites were the earliest adopters, but feeds can be used to deliver a much wider range of information. The two main feed formats are RSS and Atom. We use RSS, so you hear us use that term most often – however, because there is more than one format, we externally refer to them as Dell Syndicated Feeds or Dell Web Feeds. News readers or aggregators are needed to view web feeds, but many good ones are free. 29 June 2006

A web feed is usually an XML-based file that contains content summaries that tell readers when new content is added to a site and links back to the full version of the content.

Blogs and news websites were the earliest adopters, but feeds can be used to deliver a much wider range of information.

The two main feed formats are RSS and Atom. We use RSS, so you hear us use that term most often – however, because there is more than one format, we externally refer to them as Dell Syndicated Feeds or Dell Web Feeds.

News readers or aggregators are needed to view web feeds, but many good ones are free.

Basic Types of Feeds Text feed: only contains text content. Often limited to a headline and brief introductory paragraph that leads back to Web site for full story, but can contain complete content. Audio feed: aka – Podcast . A podcast is simply a syndicated feed with an enclosure tag for audio files. Most basic feed readers allow you to listen to the files on your computer, but specialized readers can automatically download audio files to your MP3 player for mobile listening. Video feed: aka – Vlog or Video Blog . Like a podcast, a Vlog is a syndicated feed with an enclosure tag, only this time for a video file. Most basic feed readers allow you to listen to the files on your computer, but specialized readers can automatically download to a mobile video player. 29 June 2006

Text feed: only contains text content. Often limited to a headline and brief introductory paragraph that leads back to Web site for full story, but can contain complete content.

Audio feed: aka – Podcast . A podcast is simply a syndicated feed with an enclosure tag for audio files. Most basic feed readers allow you to listen to the files on your computer, but specialized readers can automatically download audio files to your MP3 player for mobile listening.

Video feed: aka – Vlog or Video Blog . Like a podcast, a Vlog is a syndicated feed with an enclosure tag, only this time for a video file. Most basic feed readers allow you to listen to the files on your computer, but specialized readers can automatically download to a mobile video player.

Web-based Reader 29 June 2006

Desktop Feed Aggregator 29 June 2006

Benefits of Web Feeds Subscriber Reduces need to visit multiple web sites frequently to see if they have any new content Compiles content from several sites of your choice into one place Publisher Provides ongoing communication with current and prospective customers Totally opt-in, so companies can push information out with fewer worries about spam/privacy regulations 29 June 2006

Subscriber

Reduces need to visit multiple web sites frequently to see if they have any new content

Compiles content from several sites of your choice into one place

Publisher

Provides ongoing communication with current and prospective customers

Totally opt-in, so companies can push information out with fewer worries about spam/privacy regulations

Current Dell Feeds Page 29 June 2006

Further Integration with Site Beginning Feeds in Assisted Navigation 29 June 2006

Current Dell Feeds Page Coming soon: Video Feeds Audio Feeds Blog 29 June 2006

Coming soon:

Video Feeds

Audio Feeds

Blog

Feeds Can Lead to Other Opportunities Looking to add a Dell button(s) to Google Toolbar button options. Google Toolbar users can add custom buttons to their browser toolbar. Buttons can be tied to promotion feeds or other content. 29 June 2006

Looking to add a Dell button(s) to Google Toolbar button options.

Google Toolbar users can add custom buttons to their browser toolbar.

Buttons can be tied to promotion feeds or other content.

While Awareness and Use Remains Low Now Only 12% of Internet users surveyed stated that they had heard the term RSS. After being presented with a description of RSS, and being asked if they had ever used RSS, only 4% said they had. However 27% of Internet users consume RSS-enabled content without knowing it through sites such as My Yahoo! and My MSN. Source: Ipsos Insight white paper, commissioned by Yahoo! 29 June 2006

Only 12% of Internet users surveyed stated that they had heard the term RSS.

After being presented with a description of RSS, and being asked if they had ever used RSS, only 4% said they had.

However 27% of Internet users consume RSS-enabled content without knowing it through sites such as My Yahoo! and My MSN.

Adoption Is Expected to Increase Windows Vista is going to include support for RSS in Outlook Express and IE 7. This is going to increase the adoption of RSS feeds exponentially. Users will be able to easily subscribe to feeds through either email or their browser. Currently, Microsoft is not planning to support Atom, only RSS 2.0 and earlier. Firefox already includes native support for feeds in multiple formats. When you view an RSS-enabled web page in Firefox, a small icon appears in the corner of the window. You can then bookmark an RSS feed and view the contents directly from the bookmarks menu. 29 June 2006

Extra stuff 29 June 2006

Basic Definitions RSS is a family of web feed formats, specified in XML and used for Web syndication. RSS is used by (among other things) news websites, weblogs and podcasting. The abbreviation is variously used to refer to the following standards: Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0) Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0) RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0) Real-time Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0) Atom is another web feed format, it’s an open standard that includes both: an XML-based web syndication format used by weblogs, news websites and web mail and, an HTTP-based protocol for remote editing of Atom-based weblogs The development of Atom was motivated by perceived deficiencies in the RSS 2.0 format. From Wikipedia 29 June 2006

RSS is a family of web feed formats, specified in XML and used for Web syndication. RSS is used by (among other things) news websites, weblogs and podcasting. The abbreviation is variously used to refer to the following standards:

Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)

Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0)

RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)

Real-time Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)

Atom is another web feed format, it’s an open standard that includes both:

an XML-based web syndication format used by weblogs, news websites and web mail and,

an HTTP-based protocol for remote editing of Atom-based weblogs

The development of Atom was motivated by perceived deficiencies in the RSS 2.0 format.