Bringing your intranet into the 21 st Century Part Two: RSS and Podcasts

RSS – Really Simple Syndication

RSS – Really Simple Syndication It’s the plumbing — the infrastructure — of social media It’s an attention device. It is a means of placing content wherever you want it on your intranet (without repeating it).

It’s the plumbing — the infrastructure — of social media

It’s an attention device.

It is a means of placing content wherever you want it on your intranet (without repeating it).

RSS – How to Subscribe There are 4 ways you can subscribe to an RSS feed: Using a browser that has RSS subscription capabilities built in Using a news reader or “aggregator” Through a “portlet” Through a web-based service (like Bloglines) Every so often, the news reader “pings” the feed to see if any new items have been updated. If a new item has been added, the reader grabs it.

There are 4 ways you can subscribe to an RSS feed:

Using a browser that has RSS subscription capabilities built in

Using a news reader or “aggregator”

Through a “portlet”

Through a web-based service (like Bloglines)

Every so often, the news reader “pings” the feed to see if any new items have been updated.

If a new item has been added, the reader grabs it.

RSS – How to Subscribe

RSS – Reading Feeds Online

RSS – Portlets

RSS - Portlets

RSS – Generating Feeds

RSS – News Categories

RSS – Search Results

RSS – Introducing RSS

Podcasting

Podcasting Your podcast should be relatively short; no longer than, say, 10 minutes relatively entertaining somewhat unpolished niche-focused Have an accompanying blog entry with each podcast

Your podcast should be

relatively short; no longer than, say, 10 minutes

relatively entertaining

somewhat unpolished

niche-focused

Have an accompanying blog entry with each podcast

Podcasting – How to do it You need the following: A device to record on Recording and editing software A place to store the file

You need the following:

A device to record on

Recording and editing software

A place to store the file

Podcasting - Uses Messages from Leadership Training Things like these “future developments” seminars

Messages from Leadership

Training

Things like these “future developments” seminars

Podcasting - Concerns Q: What if a podcast is heard outside the company? A: Keeping the audio files in-house is a simple matter of establishing a clear policy, communicating the policy to employees, and reinforcing the consequences of violating the policy. Q: Don’t employees need iPods in order to listen to podcasts. A: You could listen on your computer, or burn to CDs… But why not give employees (or brokers) an MPI MP3 player?

Q: What if a podcast is heard outside the company?

A: Keeping the audio files in-house is a simple matter of establishing a clear policy, communicating the policy to employees, and reinforcing the consequences of violating the policy.

Q: Don’t employees need iPods in order to listen to podcasts.

A: You could listen on your computer, or burn to CDs… But why not give employees (or brokers) an MPI MP3 player?

Podcasting – Concerns Q: Won’t big audio files use too much network bandwidth? A: We may not be able to do true podcasting – we may have to have people subscribe by email and download the file themselves. Q: Shouldn’t employees be working, and not listening to podcasts? A: Podcasts probably would take less time than many of our current channels. Then, when you consider that you could listen to a podcast while you’re on the bus…

Q: Won’t big audio files use too much network bandwidth?

A: We may not be able to do true podcasting – we may have to have people subscribe by email and download the file themselves.

Q: Shouldn’t employees be working, and not listening to podcasts?

A: Podcasts probably would take less time than many of our current channels. Then, when you consider that you could listen to a podcast while you’re on the bus…