rss basics and beyond: tips and tricks for getting the most out of syndicated content
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A talk at The Ohio State University's Library 2.0 Seminar on June 13, 2007. This talk is an introduction to RSS, feed aggregators, and easy ways libraries can take advantage of RSS to improve communication with their patrons, communities, and staffs.TRANSCRIPT
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
RSS Basics and BeyondTips and Tricks for Getting the Most out of Syndicated Content
Ken VarnumWeb Systems Manager
University of Michigan Libraries
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Quick Questionnaire
Who has heard of RSS?
Who reads RSS feeds?
Who creates RSS feeds?
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
RSS Working Definition
RSS is a combination of:
1. Data Format• RSS (0.93, 1.0, 2.0…)• RDF• Atom
2. Data Interchange• Syndication
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Really Simple Syndication
Syndication is key elementIt enables you -- your library -- to make your
content available to anyone to use.• News• Events• Book lists• Study guides• Etc.
It puts you on par with the AP or Reuters
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
RSS is Everywhere
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13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Where Does RSS Come From?
Automatically Generated• Weblog software (Movable Type, TypePad,
Bloglines, Wordpress, etc.)• Content management systems (i.e., Wikis)
Using Perl, PHP, Ruby, etc.Create feeds from database searches
By HandIf you know HTML you can learn RSS
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Finding Feeds
Look for icons on page
Look for icons in browser location bar
If you can find the link, you can use the content. Some conditions apply. See copyright holder for details.
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Consuming RSS
All tools have common traits• Access RSS Feeds• Track what a user has already read• Reproduce feed content• Link to original source
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Consuming RSS: Readers
PC-Based -- tied to a particular computerSpecial Applications• FeedDemon• FeedReader• NetNewsWire
Web Browsers• Safari• IE7• Firefox
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Consuming RSS: Aggregators
Web-based
Access anywhere
Examples• Yahoo!• Bloglines• Google Reader
Even read off-line
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Consuming RSS: Integration
RSS is just a stream of informationEasy to integrate into a web pageMany tools have ‘hooks’ to hang RSS on:• Weblog software• Content magement• Wiki software, etc., etc., etc.
But if you’re using good ol’ HTML• Feed2JS• RSS2HTML
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
It’s This Easy
Go to http://feed2js.org
Click “Build”
Paste in a feed URL (www.loc.gov/rss/pao/news.xml)
Click “Generate JavaScript”
Copy 4 lines of HTML onto the page you want it to appear
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Demonstration
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
It’s Wednesday Afternoon.Do You Know Where Your Feeds Are?
???
Photo: Chris Moore (http://www.flickr.com/people/ckwmoore/)
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
What Libraries are Doing
Outward-facing
Information for patrons
Information for community
Information for selves
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Create “Live” Subject Guides
del.icio.us lets you ‘tag’ web sitesCreate an account for your libraryLibrarians (or patrons!) tag web pages that
make sense• History• Events• People
As librarians find web sites that are interesting and fit a subject guide, tag them
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Every del.icio.us tag has an RSS Feed
Example: http://del.icio.us/rss/CityPublic_History
Put it in a ‘what’s new’ section on a subject guide -- with Feed2JS or other
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
del.icio.us result
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
New Book Lists
Many OPACs can provide RSS feeds• New books• Items on hold• Catalog searches
If your OPAC does not• Do it yourself• Talk to your vendor!
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Cambridge (Ontario)
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Books Checked Out
Your OPAC might do this on its own
But probably not
Try LibraryElf• 3rd party service• Works with some, but not all, vendors• Patron sets up, not you• Requires borrower info & potential privacy
concerns -- but at patron discretion• No library intervention needed
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
LibraryElf
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Ohio Patrons Are ThereAkron-Summit County Public LibraryAshtabula County District LibraryBristol Public LibraryChampaign County LibraryClark County Public LibraryClermont County Public LibraryColumbus Metropolitan LibraryCommunity LibraryCuyahoga County Public LibraryDayton Metro LibraryDelaware County District LibraryFranklin-Springboro Public LibraryGeauga County Public LibraryGirard Public LibraryGrand Valley LibraryGrandview Heights Public LibraryGreene County Public LibraryHarbor-Topky Memorial LibraryHenderson Memorial LibraryHubbard Public LibraryKingsville Public LibraryKinsman Free Public Library
Lane Public LibraryLorain Public Library SystemMansfield/Richland County Public LibraryMary L Cook Public LibraryMcKinley Memorial LibraryMentor Public LibraryNew Carlisle Public LibraryNewton Falls Public LibraryPortage County District LibraryPreble County District LibraryPublic Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton CountyRock Creek Public LibraryTipp City Public LibraryTwinsburg Public LibraryUpper Arlington Public LibraryWashington-Centerville Public LibraryWay Public LibraryWesterville Public LibraryWestlake Porter Public LibraryWorch Memorial Public LibraryWright Memorial Public Library
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Monitoring the Web
How do you know when a web page changes?• New journal issue?• New report from the county board?
Monitoring tools check sites for you• Google Alerts watches topics• Page2RSS watches pages
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Page2RSS
Enter any web page URL
RSS feed is updated as the page changes
Page2RSS for the Library 2.0 links pagehttp://page2rss.com/page/rss?url=library.osu.edu/sites/Seminar2-0/links.php
Or simply http://tinyurl.com/ysx4kd
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Page2RSS
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Roll Your Own RSS
Several ways to get an RSS feed• Write one by hand• Set up a (free) blog• Write a script yourself (if you have a
Perl/PHP/Ruby person)• Use a service like FeedXS
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
FeedXs
http://www.feedxs.com/
Create a feed
Add items to it
Put them here, there, or everywhere
http://kenvarnum.feedxs.com/Library20.rss
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
FeedXs Demo
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Beyond the Basics
Mostly talked about existing services that you can leverage
Now turn to some more advanced topics• Search = Feed• Using RSS to get to your patrons where
they “live”
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Database Searching
Academic example: Faculty Publications
Homegrown database to collect info
You may have similar things you track
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Feed = Live Data
Every search has an RSS feed
User’s reader tracks what’s new
RSS puts content on other web pages via Feed2JS
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Knox County (Tennessee)
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Other Ways to Use RSS
RSS can put library materials in user’s lives
In academic library, course reserve lists• Course pages• Anywhere else
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
In a Public Library
Book lists for local organizations’ web sites
Resource lists (from catalog or other) for predictable school projects
Library news for local paper’s web site
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Final Thoughts
RSS means simplicity of sharing content
Simple to create, simple to use
Great tool for putting your library “out there” where your patrons are
Flexible
Very low barrier to creation or consumption
13 June 2007 RSS Basics and Beyond
Thank You
Contact [email protected]
PowerPoint Slideshttp://varnum.org/papers/basics-and-beyond.ppt
Weblog on RSS in Librarieshttp://www.rss4lib.com/