23 Things @ UL Blogs & RSS Michelle Breen July 23 rd 2009

CONGRATULATIONS! Participants in the 23 Things @ UL a re now part of the “blogosphere” …the collective term encompassing all weblogs or blogs as a community or social network…”

Damien Mulley runs the Irish Blog Awards

Best Use of the Irish Language

Best Newcomer

Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, DCU

What is a blog? A “web log”, mostly referred to as a blog A journal | newsletter | diary online that is frequently updated, with entries displayed in reverse chronological order Contains information, opinions and links Most use free software Most have RSS feeds

A “web log”, mostly referred to as a blog

A journal | newsletter | diary online that is frequently updated, with entries displayed in reverse chronological order

Contains information, opinions and links

Most use free software

Most have RSS feeds

What is included in a blog The diary entries are called “posts” Most recent posts usually appear on the front page of the weblog, with the newest entry at the top, and older entries further down Entries are usually fairly short, maybe a sentence or a paragraph, but can be much longer Entries might be written about other websites, including links to them, but they might also be the author’s thoughts on events, politics, their own life… anything

The diary entries are called “posts”

Most recent posts usually appear on the front page of the weblog, with the newest entry at the top, and older entries further down

Entries are usually fairly short, maybe a sentence or a paragraph, but can be much longer

Entries might be written about other websites, including links to them, but they might also be the author’s thoughts on events, politics, their own life… anything

Types of Blogs Personal Commercial Professional Political Internal Communication

Personal

Commercial

Professional

Political

Internal Communication

A good blogger must Communicate clearly Be consistent Be passionate about something Be web savvy Have a constant learning attitude Devote time each day or week to your blog

Communicate clearly

Be consistent

Be passionate about something

Be web savvy

Have a constant learning attitude

Devote time each day or week to your blog

Professionally, your blog allows you to . . . Market yourself Stand out in the crowd and establish a reputation Publish on your own terms Write everyday Put internet technologies to work for you But you can remain anonymous too!

Market yourself

Stand out in the crowd and establish a reputation

Publish on your own terms

Write everyday

Put internet technologies to work for you

But you can remain anonymous too!

What use is a blog in a university? Students want faster access to information When you come across some good information you can share it with a wide audience Information is captured for reference queries Archive facility allows people to get older material Discussion is now possible Department news Advertise events

Students want faster access to information

When you come across some good information you can share it with a wide audience

Information is captured for reference queries

Archive facility allows people to get older material

Discussion is now possible

Department news

Advertise events

Why not to use a blog in your teaching/work Do you have the resources to back up two way/dynamic communication? What about your users who don’t go online? Team of contributors must keep it fresh Information overload Have to continuously update, takes time Message must be consistent, no ramblings It’s your presence on the WWW

Do you have the resources to back up two way/dynamic communication?

What about your users who don’t go online?

Team of contributors must keep it fresh

Information overload

Have to continuously update, takes time

Message must be consistent, no ramblings

It’s your presence on the WWW

Blogs at Irish universities

Blogs at Irish universities

Celebrity blogs

Celebrity blogs

Wil Wheaton (Star Trek NG, Stand By Me) - http:// www.wilwheaton.net / Dave Barry (Columnist) - http:// weblog.herald.com/column/davebarry / Jeff Bridges (Actor) - http:// www.jeffbridges.com / (Click on Latest Link) ** Artistic Blog Anna Kournikova - http:// www.kournikova.com /journal/ RuPaul (Musician) - http:// www.rupaul.com/weblog.shtml Moby (Musician) - http://www.moby.com/index2.html

Your blogs . . . . Sample of 23 Things @ UL blogs

Your blogs . . . .

Sample of 23 Things @ UL blogs

Part 2 – RSS (and how blogs and RSS readers are linked)

What is RSS “… RDF Site Summary, or Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication – A lightweight XML format for distributing news headlines and other content on the Web.” and simply put RSS allows you to access information you are interested in from the one place. It is like customizing an online newspaper to only show news you want to read. The owner syndicates the data, and you subscribe to it. The data automatically updates. You use a browser , a browser addon or a program to view the data. www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm

“… RDF Site Summary, or Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication – A lightweight XML format for distributing news headlines and other content on the Web.”

and simply put

RSS allows you to access information you are interested in from the one place. It is like customizing an online newspaper to only show news you want to read. The owner syndicates the data, and you subscribe to it. The data automatically updates. You use a browser , a browser addon or a program to view the data.

www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm

This is what RSS looks like <?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot; ?> <rss version=&quot;2.0&quot;> <channel> <title>BCR: The Third Indicator</title> <link>http://www.bcr.org/publications/thirdind/</link> <description>The Third Indicator, published monthly, is a technical memo focusing on OCLC products and services. It includes general OCLC news as well as detailed technical information on cataloging, reference and resource sharing. Announcements of new OCLC developments are also included.</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:37:39 GMT</lastBuildDate> <generator>ListGarden Program 1.01</generator> <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs> <item> <title>WorldCat Resource Sharing Training</title> <link>http://www.bcr.org/publications/thirdind/2004/august/augsharetrain04.html</link> <description>If you'd like to see what WorldCat Resource Sharing looks like and learn more about it, visit the OCLC Web site at www.oclc.org/ill/migration/ or view the WorldCat Resource Sharing tutorial at www5.oclc.org/downloads/tutorials/firstsearch/sv/rsbasics/intro/index.html/.</description> <pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:29:47 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink=&quot;false&quot;>thirdind-2004-08-21-19-29-47</guid> </item> </channel> </rss>

<?xml version=&quot;1.0&quot; encoding=&quot;UTF-8&quot; ?>

<rss version=&quot;2.0&quot;>

<channel>

<title>BCR: The Third Indicator</title>

<link>http://www.bcr.org/publications/thirdind/</link>

<description>The Third Indicator, published monthly, is a technical memo focusing on OCLC products and services. It includes general OCLC news as well as detailed technical information on cataloging, reference and resource sharing. Announcements of new OCLC developments are also included.</description>

<lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:37:39 GMT</lastBuildDate>

<generator>ListGarden Program 1.01</generator>

<docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>

<item>

<title>WorldCat Resource Sharing Training</title>

<link>http://www.bcr.org/publications/thirdind/2004/august/augsharetrain04.html</link>

<description>If you'd like to see what WorldCat Resource Sharing looks like and learn more about it, visit the OCLC Web site at www.oclc.org/ill/migration/ or view the WorldCat Resource Sharing tutorial at www5.oclc.org/downloads/tutorials/firstsearch/sv/rsbasics/intro/index.html/.</description>

<pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:29:47 GMT</pubDate>

<guid isPermaLink=&quot;false&quot;>thirdind-2004-08-21-19-29-47</guid>

</item>

</channel>

</rss>

So, we already know that Blogs = content RSS = technology Readers = Aggregators (software to display RSS)

Blogs = content

RSS = technology

Readers = Aggregators (software to display RSS)

RSS feeds - how to read Special piece of software called a newsreader, feedreader, or aggregator to display rss feeds. Download one or access online. Gathers all your feeds in one place Like a newspaper - more personalized, with all your RSS feeds displayed

Special piece of software called a newsreader, feedreader, or aggregator to display rss feeds.

Download one or access online.

Gathers all your feeds in one place

Like a newspaper - more personalized, with all your RSS feeds displayed

RSS Readers/ Aggregators RSS Feeds can be read in: Web browser – feeds can be read in Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox Web-based aggregators – Google Reader, Bloglines, Newsgator, where you need a username and password, but can be read on any PC Desk-top readers – software installed on PC and feeds download when connected to the internet e.g. feedreader.com Personalised start pages like NetVibes or PageFlakes, iGoogle

RSS Feeds can be read in:

Web browser – feeds can be read in Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox

Web-based aggregators – Google Reader, Bloglines, Newsgator, where you need a username and password, but can be read on any PC

Desk-top readers – software installed on PC and feeds download when connected to the internet e.g. feedreader.com

Personalised start pages like NetVibes or PageFlakes, iGoogle

To subscribe to an RSS feed from a website look for any of these icons Depending on your aggregator, the subscription procedure may range from copying and pasting the link to right-clicking and selecting “subscribe”.

Depending on your aggregator, the subscription procedure may range from copying and pasting the link to right-clicking and selecting “subscribe”.

http://www.rte.ie/rss/news.xml

How you or your students can benefit from using RSS feeds Subscribe once, constant updates then fed to you Avoid repeatedly checking websites to see if there is any new content Avoids clutter and spam in email inbox Handles notifications of changes to multiple websites easily Get results of a saved search from internet news sources displayed in one place

Subscribe once, constant updates then fed to you

Avoid repeatedly checking websites to see if there is any new content

Avoids clutter and spam in email inbox

Handles notifications of changes to multiple websites easily

Get results of a saved search from internet news sources displayed in one place

Finding Blogs & RSS feeds Google (blogsearch.google.com) Yahoo (Directory>Computers and Internet>Internet>World Wide Web>Weblogs) Technorati (http://www.technorati.com) Bloglines ( http://www.bloglines.com ) Irish Blogs Directory (http://www.irishblogs.com/) Feeds PubSub ( http:// www.pubsub.com / ) RSS Compendium ( http:// allrss.com/rsssearch.html )

Google (blogsearch.google.com)

Yahoo (Directory>Computers and Internet>Internet>World Wide Web>Weblogs)

Technorati (http://www.technorati.com)

Bloglines ( http://www.bloglines.com )

Irish Blogs Directory (http://www.irishblogs.com/)

Feeds

PubSub ( http:// www.pubsub.com / )

RSS Compendium ( http:// allrss.com/rsssearch.html )

Thank you Good luck in the blogosphere; go out and start reading other people’s blogs through an RSS aggregator