Feed Me: RSS Feeds 101 Learn what RSS feeds are all about. All links can be found at: http://del.icio.us/westervillelibrary/RSS101 Slideshow can be found at: http://www.slideshare.net/westervillelibrary/rss-101

What is RSS? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. But what does that mean, you ask? The easiest way to explain it is to think of RSS as the ability to create your own personal newspaper. Therefore, each feed you subscribe to shows you the headlines for your favorite columnists.

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

But what does that mean, you ask?

The easiest way to explain it is to think of RSS as the ability to create your own personal newspaper.

Therefore, each feed you subscribe to shows you the headlines for your favorite columnists.

Your Personalized Newspaper Would Look Something Like This:

Why Is This Useful? Instead of scouring the Internet for new and useful information every day, the important new information comes to you. You don’t have to remember your favorite sites, blogs, or product searches. Once you set up your feed, this information automatically updates in your reader. RSS helps you organize the information you find most useful.

Instead of scouring the Internet for new and useful information every day, the important new information comes to you.

You don’t have to remember your favorite sites, blogs, or product searches. Once you set up your feed, this information automatically updates in your reader.

RSS helps you organize the information you find most useful.

Wondering Where to Start? Find a RSS reader . Decide what content you’re interested in. Browse the web. Look for this symbol: Subscribe to the feed.

Find a RSS reader .

Decide what content you’re interested in.

Browse the web.

Look for this symbol:

Subscribe to the feed.

How to View Your Personal Newspaper : In order to view , add to and delete from your personal newspaper, you need a RSS “ reader ” or “ aggregator .” As with most products, different companies offer different features with their readers, so you will want to pick the one that best fits your needs . Some examples are…

In order to view , add to and delete from your personal newspaper, you need a RSS “ reader ” or “ aggregator .”

As with most products, different companies offer different features with their readers, so you will want to pick the one that best fits your needs .

Some examples are…

Online Accounts Pros: Great for those on the move; these readers are accessible from anywhere with Internet access and an Internet browser. If you’re familiar with MySpace, Yahoo! Mail or other similar services, these readers will be fairly intuitive. Cons: You can’t “save” or “mark” your favorite posts. You have to log in, which means remembering a username and password.

Pros:

Great for those on the move; these readers are accessible from anywhere with Internet access and an Internet browser.

If you’re familiar with MySpace, Yahoo! Mail or other similar services, these readers will be fairly intuitive.

Cons:

You can’t “save” or “mark” your favorite posts.

You have to log in, which means remembering a username and password.

MyYahoo! http://cm.my.yahoo.com/

Bloglines www.bloglines.com

Pageflakes www. pageflakes .com

NetVibes www. netvibes .com

iGoogle www.google.com/ig

Internet Browsers Pro: For those of you who love bookmarks and browser add-ons, this way of viewing RSS feeds is for you. Cons: These are only viewable on the browser where you have set them up, so they are not “mobile” unless they were set up on a laptop or mobile device. These are less visual.

Internet Explorer (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/default.mspx)

Firefox (Live Bookmarks) (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/)

Email Options Pro: If you love the way email works, you will appreciate these options. These readers allow you to “delete” feeds once you have viewed them, whereas most other readers simply mark them as read and leave them as viewable until new content arrives. Con: These readers are less visual.

Outlook 2007 http://office.microsoft.com/

Google Reader www. google .com/reader

Not Ready to Commit? Luckily, most RSS feeds can be viewed like any other webpage. Internet browsers have the capability of viewing all of the feed content without actually using an RSS reader. In this way, you don’t have commit to a reader if you aren’t quite ready to make the jump. Keep in mind that you don’t have to subscribe to every feed you encounter. Only add those feeds that you are interested in viewing on a regular basis.

Viewing Feeds without a Reader

How to Find Feeds Look for the RSS symbol on your favorite websites and/or blogs. Consult RSS Feed directories such as Syndic8 and Technorati. Check your RSS feed reader. Some readers (such as MyYahoo!) offer suggestions in different categories. Ask your friends!

Entertaining Feeds AllRecipes Daily recipes http://allrecipes.com/Help/aboutus/rss.aspx Rotten Tomatoes Movie reviews http://www.rottentomatoes.com/pages/syndication_rss Internet Movie Database Recent entertainment news http://www.imdb.com/news/

Shopping Feeds Ebay Alerts by category or seller http://www. rssauction .com/ Amazon.com Track new products by subject http://www. amazon . com/gp/tagging/rss-help .html iTunes Store New releases, Top 10s by genre http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStoreServices.woa/wa/MRSS/rssGenerator Expedia Flight prices filtered by destination http://www. expedia . com/daily/outposts/rss/expedia_rss .asp? ccheck=1 &

Practical Feeds GovGab Blog Feed Information on the latest government resources http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/ Yahoo! Finance Track news based on company stock symbols http://finance.yahoo.com/rssindex National Weather Service Severe weather alerts http://www. nws . noaa .gov/alerts/ Food and Drug Administration Information about recalls http://www. fda . gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/rssRecalls .xml

Benefits Helps organize the massive amount of information that can be found on the Internet. Eliminates email overload, allowing for the most important information to come through. You no longer have to seek out new information from your favorite sites. You can keep up-to-date on what is most important to you.

What about Creating Feeds? RSS feeds are becoming easier and easier to create, and are being used for a variety of applications. You may already be creating a feed if you use services such as Facebook, Blogger, Etsy, or Twitter. Simply look for instructions on how to find your feed while logged in to these services. If you’re interested in creating feeds “from scratch” for your business, try employing the help of some tech savvy friends or colleagues, or check out the resources provided at the end of this presentation.

Resources for Further Study For the Basics: RSS in Plain English (video) http://www. youtube .com/watch? v=0klgLsSxGsU RSS Toolbox (website) A comprehensive list of RSS readers, directories, and tools. http://mashable.com/2007/06/11/rss-toolbox/ RSS Demystified (slide presentation) http://www. slideshare . net/pbromberg/rss-demystified Feedburner Track your feed stats and learn the basics about feed building. http://www. feedburner . com/fb/a/home

Resources (cont’d) More Feeds: U.S. Government RSS Library http://www. usa . gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Libraries/RSS_Library . shtml Directory of RSS Feeds related to Business & Careers http://www. allbusiness .com/2984677-1.html Syndicat8 - RSS Feed Directory www.syndic8.com Westerville Public Library’s RSS Feeds http://catalog. westervillelibrary .org/screens/feeds.html

Resources (cont’d) Articles and Books: RSS Marketing Feed Frenzy by Melissa Campanelli http://www.entrepreneur.com/ebusiness/gettingtraffic/article174666.html Syndicating Web Sites with RSS Feeds for Dummies by Ellen Finkelstein A good place to start learning about RSS feeds, how they work, and ideas on how to use them. Secrets of RSS by Steven Holzner A technical view of how to set up your own RSS feeds and XML documents.

Thank you! Presented by: Tamara Westerville Public Library September 3rd, 2008