The document outlines a mini-workshop on using newsfeeds and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to manage information overload. It discusses strategies for finding and subscribing to relevant feeds, the benefits of using feeds, and how to set them up through various platforms and tools. Participants can learn to control their information consumption while reducing clutter in their email inboxes.

1. NEWSFEEDS AND MORE …. A mini-workshop presented by Ingrid Thomson, UCT Libraries

2. IS THIS WHAT YOU FEEL LIKE?/ http://blog.vecci.org.au/2010/10/20/surviving-the-information-deluge

3. /OUTLINE OF WORKSHOPSOME STRATEGIES FOR STAYING ABREAST OF CURRENT INFORMATION (A brief discussion)WHAT ARE NEWSFEEDS? WHY USE NEWSFEEDS?FINDING NEWSFEEDSHOW TO GET STARTED (and getting started) FINDING THE ‘GOOD STUFF’

4. Use the technology which is available to turn the latest online content into a subscription which can be delivered to one place.SO HOW TO STAY ABREAST

5. RSS = Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary or Atom or XML or Feeds or Newsfeed or Webfeed or Channel or Blogfeeds or Ready for Some Stories. AND THE TECHNOLOGY IS …

6. WHAT IS RSS? Technical or Geeky explanationXML-based standard for sending information over the internetLooks something like this …<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel> <title>RSS Title</title> <description>This is an example of an RSS feed</description> <link>http://www.someexamplerssdomain.com/main.html</link> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:01:00 +0000 </lastBuildDate> <pubDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +0000 </pubDate> <item> <title>Example entry</title> <description>Here is some text containing an interesting description.</description> <link>http://www.wikipedia.org/</link> <guid>unique string per item</guid> <pubDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +0000 </pubDate> </item> </channel></rss>

7. WHAT INFO CAN I GET VIA FEEDS?Many bookmarked web sites that you check regularlyNews headlines, weather and any other news – real time newsLatest podcasts, videosWeb search engines and databases you use provide feeds for your search resultsJournals in your research fields or areas of interest provide feeds to new issues as they are published.

8. ADVANTAGES OF USING FEEDSFewer emails in your email boxUsers do not disclose their email address when subscribing to a feed and so no spam, viruses, phishing, and identity theft. Users do not have to send an unsubscribe request to stop receiving news. They simply remove the feed from their aggregator.Keep the items you want to keep, share the items you want to shareYou choose when to look at your feeds.

9. Have you ever seen icons like these?middlesexjobsearch.wikispaces.com

10. GET A FEED OR RSS READER OR AGGREGATORDifferent types of readers from desktop based, internet based or mobile-phone based. Windows, OS, Linux, mobile phones, and web-based. Browsers like IE can be used as readers as well.Check out the Ultimate RSS Toolbox at http://mashable.com/2007/06/11/rss-toolbox/.

11. FORMAT OF A FEEDLink to storyTitleBrief descriptive contentUpdated feeds

12. OPTIONS FOR WEB-BASED READERS: BLOGLINES

13. OPTIONS FOR WEB-BASED READERS: GOOGLELoginGoogle Reader

14. SO WHERE DO I FIND FEEDS?Two places:-Many internet browsers e.g. Firefox, IE, Google Chrome now have the ability to find and subscribe to RSS feeds built right into them. On websites (which could be search engines, directories of feeds [e.g. Syndic8.com], academic databases amongst other places).

15. ADDING FEEDS

16. BROWSERSGoogle ChromeInternet ExplorerFirefox

17. GOOGLE CHROMENeed to add a special Google Chrome Extension

18. GOOGLE CHROMEFeed

19. INTERNET EXPLORERWill add to your IE BrowseFEED

20. FIREFOXFeedChoose your reader

21. DIRECTORY OF FEEDS

22. SEARCH ENGINESRSS feed for alerting to new updated information

23. NEWS HEADLINESRSS Feed for Health Stories on IOL

24. HOW DO I ADD FEEDS?Choose your reader

25. Table of ContentsUse library resources such as Ulrich’s Periodicals Database or the Journal Portal or individual databases to locate RSS feeds for latest table of contents OR check out TicTocs.OR look up the title on Google and add the words “RSS feed” ACADEMIC JOURNALS

26. ACADEMIC JOURNALSSelect Informaworld

27. ACADEMIC JOURNALSRSS feed

28. ACADEMIC JOURNALSTo have the alerts come via Google Reader

29. ACADEMIC JOURNALSFeed is added automatically because I am signed in.

30. ACADEMIC JOURNALS

31. DATABASES Two ways to use databasesCreate journal alerts on journal titles available from that databaseSearch-based alerts EBSCO, PROQUEST, PubMed, OvidLIBRARY DATABASES

32. LIBRARY DATABASESRSSFeed

33. LIBRARY DATABASESKeyword searchUse this to grab the RSS feedIndicates RSS feed

34. LIBRARY DATABASESClick here to create an alert

35. LIBRARY DATABASESCopy and paste this feed url into your reader to subscribe to the feed.

36. LIBRARY DATABASESClick on Add a subscription and put the feed in and click on ADD

37. LIBRARY DATABASESFeed is added.

38. WEBSITES/BLOGS AND OTHER SCHOLARLY RESOURCESRSS feed

39. REFWORKS AND RSS. Using RefWorks? RefWorks has an intergrated RSS Feed Reader.Simply add the feed URL which will be added to your RefWorks database

40. NO RSS FEED ON THE SITE?

41. STILL HOOKED ON EMAIL?

42. SOME USEFUL TIPS TO STAY IN CONTROL Results that have nothing to do with your keywords - use site called Feed Rinse, add the feed and get the posts blocked that have that word in the post or title.

43. Subscribe only to the category’s feeds where that is an option.

44. Review your feeds regularly - you want to stay in control not the feeds