Blogs and RSS Feeds – What Why and How?

Steven M. Cohen

Rivkin Radler LLP

Library Stuff

October 20st, 2004

Topics Covered

• Weblogs - What? How? Why? Where? Who? When?

• RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

What?

• Website, listed chronologically, with written content and links.

• Most use software for easy publication.

• Calendars, Permalinks, Archives, RSS, blogroll, comments.

• Easy Easy Easy Easy Easy…

What? (Examples)

• Library Stuff (www.librarystuff.net)

• LISNews (http://www.lisnews.com)

• Resourceshelf (http://www.resourceshelf.com)

• The Shifted Librarian (http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com)

• Librarian.net (http://www.librarian.net)

How? (Software)

• Blogger (http://www.blogger.com)

• Movabletype (http://www.movabletype.org)

• Radio Userland (http://radio.userland.com)

• WordPress (http://www.wordpress.org)

• Live Journal (http://www.livejournal.com)

How? (Let’s Create one)

How? (Movabletype)

• Posting to a weblog with MovableType

Which? (Choosing One)

• $$$

• How do you get the software?

• Automatic archiving?

• Comments included?

• Spell check?

• Free Web Space?

Why? (Using Weblogs)

• Easy to distribute content

• Communication within the building (reference desk)

• Great for Library Web pages.

Why? (Examples)

• Library News

• Reference Desk Discussion (FARQs, patrons, etc)

• New Acquisitions.

• Consortia

• Book Clubs

• Backend CMS only

Why? (Advantages)

• Easy, Easy, Easy, Easy, Easy to publish

• No need to download software

• Open source, open access feeling

• Interactive

• No Rules

Why not? (Disadvantages)

• Information Overload?!

• Have to continuously update them

• Takes time on behalf of the writer

• Crossposting

• Subjective

• Reliability of content

• No Rules

Where? (Examples)

• Waterboro Public Library (http://www.waterborolibrary.org/blog.htm)

• Georgia State University Libraries (http://www.library.gsu.edu/news)

• Rosedale Public Library Blogger Book Club (http://www.roselle.lib.il.us/YouthServices/BookClub/Bloggerbookclub.htm)

Where? (Examples)

• Construction Diary (http://urbanafreelibrary.org/bldgblog.html)

• University of Minnesota Libraries (http://blog.lib.umn.edu)

• Wisconsin Library Association (http://wlaweb.blogspot.com/)

• Suburban Library System (http://www.sls.lib.il.us/)

Who? (Marketing)

• Stand out in the crowd.

• Ease of use

• Best way to publish without trade publications (on your own terms)

• Finding your niche (http://marylaine.com/exlibris/xlib185.html)

• Write everyday

Who? (Searching For Weblogs)

• Searching weblog content.– Feedster (http://www.feedster.com)– Blogdigger (

http://www.blogdigger.com) – Blogstreet – (

http://www.blogsteet.com)– Waypath (http://www.waypath.com) – Daypop (http://www.daypop.com)

Who? (LIS Specific)

• Peter Scott’s List (www.libdex.com/weblogs.html)

• LISBlogsource – (http://www.lisblogsource.net)

• ODP Library Weblogs – (http://tinyurl.com/ew7o)

• Blog Without a Library - (http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links.html)

RSS 101

• Content from the Web which is parsed into a file (.xml or .rss or .php)

• Can only be read with a news aggregator or online “parser” code (which allows for RSS content to be viewed in html)

• Can’t be read in a browser on its own.• Look for the orange button!!!

Examples of Companies that Syndicate Content via RSS

• Chronicle of Higher Education

– http://chronicle.com/help/rss.htm

• Reuters

– (http://www.reuters.com/newsrss.jhtml)

• New York Times– http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/i

ndex.html

• Christian Science Monitor

– http://search.csmonitor.com/rss/index.html

News Aggregators 101

• Software – Client Based– Server Based

• Subscribe to sites by adding feeds.• Different aggregators that do basically the same thing.• Saves time • Content is syndicated into one place.• Look for the Orange Button

Library Stuff

Library Stuff RSS Feed

Library Stuff Raw Feed

News Aggregators

• Bloglines (Demo) – http://www.bloglines.com

• Net News Wire (Mac)– http://www.netnewswire.com

• Newzcrawler– http://www.newzcrawler.com

• Newsgator (Outlook)– http://www.newsgator.com

Web-Based Aggregators – 2 types

• Inernet-based tool that deliver specific feeds chosen by the creator(s)

– LISFeeds – www.lisfeeds.com

– EDU_RSS - www.downes.ca/edu_rss.htm

– Weblogs at Harvard – http://blogs.law.harvard.edu

Web-Based Aggregators – 2 types

• Internet-based tools that are chosen by the USER.

– Bloglines – www.bloglines.com– MyWireService -

www.mywireservice.com

– My Yahoo!! - http://my.yahoo.com

RSS Directories and Search Engines

• Syndic8

– http://www.syndic8.com

• Blogstreet

– www.blogstreet.com/rssdiscovery.html

• Auto Discovery

– Built-in to the aggregator

– RSS Explorer Toolbar

• (http://rssexplorer.planet-hood.com)

• News is Free

– http://www.newsisfree.com

RSS Search Engines

• Feedster– http://www.feedster.com

• Waypath– http://www.waypath.com

• Technorati– http://www.technorati.com

• Blogdigger– http://www.blogdigger.com/

index.html

• Google File type search

Customize your RSS

• Daypop– http://www.daypop.com

– After search find orange button

• Moreover– http://p.moreover.com/cgi-local/page?

k=librarian&o=rss

– Replace “librarian” with any keywords.

• Wired News

• Feedster search

More Customization

• Yahoo News Search - http://jeremy.zawodny.com/ynews-search-rss.php

• Hubmed – http://www.pmbrowser.info• Pubsub – http://www.pubsub.com • Topix – http://www.topix.com • Findory – http://www.findory.com • Usenet

– http://www.bitfolge.de/nntp2rss-en.html

Disadvantages of RSS

• No filtering by keyword

• Can become unruly, quickly

• Not Everything is RSSified

• Difficult to synchronize aggregator between multiple computers (but...)

Advantages of RSS

• Cutting edge technology• No advertisements to deal with• More and more join RSS every day• Saves lots of time (4 hours 30

minutes)• Can be syndicated onto a web site• Syndication works well for

frequently and infrequently update sites

Other RSS Stuff

Bloglet – Get RSS feeds via e-mail– http://www.bloglet.com

Thanks

Contact:

Web Form - http://www.librarystuff.net/contact.php

AOL IM – NYlibrarian

Phone – 516-357-3455