Surviving the Web Explosion: Keeping in touch with RSS

Slide 1: Surviving the Web Explosion: Keeping in touch with RSS Sukhdev Singh [Based on my lectures on Retrieving Biomedical Information]

Slide 2: What is the size of the Web? The estimates vary from 15 to some 30 billion Web pages. Is this • EXPLOSION ? • INFORMATION OVERLOAD? • PROBLEM OF PLENTY? Ok Forget it. How to survive this EXPLOSION and Keep in Touch with current information in you area?

Slide 3: Two Ways

Slide 4: Old Way: News You go and find it. Blogs Journals Databases

Slide 5: New Way: News Let them come to you. Blogs Journals Databases

Slide 6: RSS is the way – New and Fast • RSS (which, in its most recent format, stands for "Really Simple Syndication") • Some expand it as - Rich Site Summary

Slide 7: Easily stay informed by subscribing the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not visiting each site individually. Your privacy is maintained unlike subscribing to each site's email newsletter

Slide 8: What is Required for the NEW FAST way? • A PLACE to mix the new content of your interest. – RSS READER • The INGREDIENTS – RSS Feeds

Slide 9: RSS READERs • Desktop Softwares • http://www.download.com/RSS-Tools/3150-9227-0.html • Online Services • http://reader.google.com • http://my.yahoo.com • http://bloglines.com

Slide 12: http://www.bloglines.com/

Slide 13: RSS Feeds • Blogs – Most are RSS Enabled • News sites - Check for buttons • Databases – • Execute your search query • Create RSS Feed

Slide 14: Connecting READER with FEEDS • Clicking on RSS Button will reveal the URL of the RSS Feed • Copy the URL • Paste the URL in your READER while subscribing to the FEED.

Slide 15: OK, we will take an example

Slide 16: Say for Example • I am interested in News – Let me know what current News are reported by in NDTV.COM • I read blogs, so let me know what is latest on Peter Suber’s Blog. • I want to know what all news articles has been deposited in my favorite repository - http://openmed.nic.in • What all new articles have been indexed in PubMed on the topic “Medical Informatics in India”?

Slide 17: Ok, we will use Google Reader as our RSS Reader Login

Slide 18: Look for Add Subscription

Slide 19: Click on Add Subscription

Slide 20: Click on RSS button and Get URL of your RSS Feed for News

Slide 21: Just Look URL. COPY it with Ctrl + C

Slide 22: Paste the URL Here Ctrl+V

Slide 23: Wow, Your News are Here

Slide 24: Now let us add a feed from Blog now.

Slide 25: Repeat steps for Adding Subscription

Slide 26: Wow, Blog feed is here

Slide 27: Now for Repository. Look for RSS Button.

Slide 28: Look for URL Above and Copy it.

Slide 29: Add Subscription

Slide 30: And you know it has been done!

Slide 31: Now let us create a feed from PubMED

Slide 32: Enter your Query as you do normally.

Slide 33: In Display Menu - Click on Drop Down Option for RSS

Slide 34: Click on Create Feed

Slide 35: Look for Small Orange Icon – and Click it.

Slide 36: Copy the URL of the Feed.

Slide 37: Add Subscription

Slide 38: And no surprise, It is Done

Slide 39: You can Manage yours RSS Subscriptions

Slide 41: See them all at one place. No need to go for each site.

Slide 43: You can even Export or Import your subscriptions to / from Other Readers

Slide 44: Want to tell the World? • MASHUP – Special Sites that allow quick building of content by RSS feeds – You can build a site that have content of interest of a particular domain. – Share with everybody by telling its URL

Slide 45: An Example

Slide 52: Thanks