RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows users to subscribe to frequently updated content like blogs and news feeds. It provides advantages like parsing information quickly, discovering new content serendipitously, and being the first to share new information with colleagues. While RSS has some disadvantages like requiring additional software and not all sites supporting it, it is useful for PR professionals to monitor clients' blogs and journalist blogs for coverage. PR can promote releases through RSS and enable two-way conversations by using wikis, blogs, and social media alongside RSS.

1. Getting the most out of RSS David Strom [email_address] (310) 857-6867

2. Summary Why bother with RSS? What is it good -- and not good --for How PR and the media should use RSS What are some useful RSS software tools

3. How RSS is useful Do you find yourself constantly checking particular Web sites for new content? Want a way around sending email broadcasts that don’t go into spam buckets? Looking for early alerts on press coverage about your clients? Want quick ways to scan the news headlines?

4. Advantages of RSS You can really parse a lot of information quickly You still have serendipitous searching akin to reading the daily newspaper It can become a guilty pleasure as well as a professional tool You can be the “first in your office to email” something to your colleagues

5. Disadvantages of RSS Yet another application to run or mess with Not everyone has RSS-readable content, yet Sometimes the feeds break or do odd things We still live in an email-centric world It moves away from the two-way media of IM and conversational blogs

6. How RSS and PR can work together Obviously, start posting releases via RSS Link to your own blogs and monitor your clients’ blog postings Subscribe to journalists’ and PR blogs and thought leaders ( Check out Tara’s search here : http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/tools/search-official-blogs)/

7. What about wikis? A way to enable two-way conversations Razorfish is doing this for its staff/clients Use tag clouds/blogs/photo sharing, etc. Wiki MSPs: Wetpaint, Confluence , Google/Jotspot, zeegzaag.com . IBM’s Connections , Jive’s Clearspace also interesting alternatives

8. So how do I get started? First, understand the mechanics of RSS Let’s examine the three different pieces: The URL of the feed itself How to read RSS content How to create RSS content What the RSS file looks like in a browser Feed:// strom . wordpress .com/feed/ Don’t forget that ending slash! Some browsers want http:// instead of feed:// URI

10. History of RSS Remember push and Pointcast? Origins with Microsoft, Apple, and Netscape/AOL -- as a result, we have lots of standards! Rich (or RDF) Site Summary (RSS 0.9x, RSS 1.0): old school and quirky Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0): Great for building apps and inter-machine exchange Atom : non-text content included and REST API too, used more for pod/vidcasts

11. What is inside the feed itself Looks a lot like XML/HTML code: <item> <title>Current blog entry</title> <description>Individual element description here</description> <link> http://strom.wordpress.com/2006/11/01/blahblahblah/</link> </item>

12. So what does a feed point to? Recent blog postings New podcasts or audio/video files Changes to content on a Web site Really, anything you want!

13. Subscribe to a feed Go to your favorite site Find the RSS icon Click on it and add to your feed list Check once a day, lather and repeat

14. RSS Readers Web browsers: IE 7 Firefox 2

17. RSS Readers, con’t Web-based (hosted services): Bloglines, Newsgator, MyYahoo, GoogleReader One interesting approach: Flurry.com

21. RSS Readers, con’t Email client software Outlook 2007 T-bird Dedicated RSS readers: More than you want to know at allrss.com

22. RSS Creators Blogging software like WordPress, TypePad, Blogspot Social sites like YouTube, MySpace, etc. Podcasting sites like Slapcast.com DIY software like FeedForAll Or you can use Wordpad and write your own!

23. RSS Marketers Feedburner Feedcraft iTunes Music Store (for podcasts)

24. Any questions? David Strom [email_address] (310) 857-6867 http://strominator.com