Really Simple Syndication(RSS)and

Email Alerts

Prepared by: Elhassan ROUIJEL

OutlineWhat Is RSS?Why Use RSS?What Is RSS Used for?How to Use RSS?What Are the Limitations of RSS?What Is Email Alert?How to Use Email Alerts?What Are the Benefits of Email Alerts?What Are the Limitations of Email Alerts?Conclusion

What is RSS?RSS (Really Simple Syndication) or

(Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content.

Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it.

Why Use RSS?

When we visit our favorite websites individually, one by one, we run the risk of waisting our precious time, sometimes for little satisfactory results.

Why Use RSS?

Instead of visiting each website individually, you can receive the updates of all the websites you like through RSS feed.

How to Use RSS? (Step 1)

Have a google accounthttp://www.google.co.ma/reader

How to Use RSS? (Step 2)

Click on :Add a subscription

How to Use RSS? (Step 3)

Paste the URL of the web or the blog you like to keep being updated with.

How to Use RSS?

Here you will find your subscriptions’ updates.

What Are the Benefits of RSS? RSS solves the problem for students who regularly use the web.

It allows the student to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites the student is interested in.

You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy and security, by not needing to join each site's email newslette.

RSS is increasingly being used to provide alerts for a range of changes such as changes to stocks and shares, weather forecasts, Web pages, etc. (Brian Kelly)

RSS allows students: Opt-In: you select which feeds to subscribe to. Content: steady stream of fresh web content. Aggregation: you can quickly scan multiple content streams and click on items of interest. Traffic: increased exposure and traffic for web sites (fig. 1).

What Are the Benefits of RSS?

Fig. 1: The Impact of RSS on a Website’s Traffic

What Are the Limitations of RSS?

RSS allows you access to the updates of the websites you choose, but this is not sufficient to keep abreast with the changing world of the internet.

What is the way out?

What Are Email Alerts?

Email Alerts will automatically notify you when results that are relevant to your selected topics become available on the web.

How to Use Email Alerts?

You need to have a google account.Log on: http://www.google.co.ma/alerts

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 2)

Create a Google Alert

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 3)

Type the search terms.Use the quotation marks. E.g: « William Labov ».

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 4)

Choose the type of your search.You have 4 choices: news, web, comprehensive, groups.

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 5)

Choose how often you want to be notified.You have 3 choices: once a day, once a week, as-it-happens.

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 6)

You choose the email length.You have two choices: Up to 20 results, Up to 50 results.

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 7)

Choose where you want the alerts to be delivered to.You have 2 choices: your email, or as feed.Click on Create Alert.

How to Use Email Alerts? (Step 8)

Edit

New AlertDelete

You can edit, or delete your search items, or create new alerts.

What Are the Benefits of Email Alerts?

Instead of browsing and sifting the web, looking for the latest information you are intrested in, email alerts can bring you the latest blog posts, videos and discussions through the web about what you need on daily basis.

Email alerts save the student time and effort. Instead of searching for the information, information itself comes to the student’sinbox.

What Are the Limitations of Email Alerts?

Email alerts do not enable you to follow the updates of given websites.

Email alerts can be complementary to RSS, but they cannot replace it.

ConclusionInternet is growing very fast, and is becoming

more and more challenging to keep up with.RSS and email alerts are tools that have

enabled us to keep informed with our favorite websites and blogs with less effort and time.

Thank you very much

References

RSS / More than Just News Feeds, Brian Kelly. (P. 226).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knURq7DTfNQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

www.feedforall.com/rss.ppt (Fig. 1)