RSS Feeds - Education International

RSS Feeds –
What they are and what they do
COMNET Meeting
February 18th – 20th, 2008
Education International
Head Office, Brussels, Belgium
Overview
• Introduction
– Definition
– Technical details
• How to read RSS
– Stand-alone applications
– Web-based applications
– Integrated into browsers or mail-clients
• How to deploy RSS
– Stand-alone applications
– CMS-integrated solutions
– Feed aggregators
• RSS in union context – Benefits and ideas
Definition
• RDF Site Summary/Really Simple Syndication
– Resource Description Framework (RDF), a W3C metadata
model
– Based on XML (Extensible Markup Language)
• RSS evolved since 1995 into a variety of formats
– RSS 0.9–0.92, 2.0, Atom, OPML
• Wikipedia: RSS […] is a family of Web feed formats
used to publish frequently updated content such as
blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS
document, which is called a “feed”, “web feed”, or
“channel”, contains either a summary of content
from an associated web site or the full text. RSS
makes it possible for people to keep up with their
favourite web sites in an automated manner that's
easier than checking them manually.
Code
More information: http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/
Example I
Example I – Details
• Variety of icons, but icon introduced by
Firefox has de facto become standard
• Best practice to offer as many “points of
vantage” for the user as possible, e.g.
– Browser address bar (by header meta tag)
– Menu items
– Designated areas on the site
Example II
Example II – Details
• Modern browsers display RSS feeds
formatted “prettily” in case user clicks on
the link
• For older browsers (and in general),
possibility to format feed using CSS, see
e.g. http://interglacial.com/~sburke/stuff/
pretty_rss.html
How to read RSS?
• Stand-alone applications
– Feed Reader
http://www.feedreader.com/
– FeedDemon
http://www.rss-verzeichnis.de/feeddemon/
How to read RSS? – contd.
• Web-based applications
– Bloglines
http://www.bloglines.com/
– Google Reader
https://www.google.com/reader/
How to read RSS? – contd.
• Integrated into browsers or mail-clients
– Mozilla Thunderbird
http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/thunderbird/
– Sage (Mozilla Firefox plugin)
http://sage.mozdev.org/
How to read RSS? – Example I
How to read RSS? – Example II
How to deploy RSS?
• Stand–alone applications
– ListGarden
http://www.softwaregarden.com/products/listgarden/index.html
– SuperSimple RSS Generator
http://ssrss.sourceforge.net/
How to deploy RSS? – contd.
• CMS–integrated solutions
– Wordpress
– Drupal
http://www.wordpress.org/
– Joomla
http://www.drupal.org/
– Typo3
http://www.joomla.org/
http://www.typo3.org/
RSS in union context – Benefits and ideas
• General benefits of RSS feeds
– Paramount outreach at very low cost
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No special server requirements, no database required
All software to read or generate RSS feeds I mentioned in this
presentation is Open Source or Freeware
Adding your feed to RSS directories such as Technorati, Blogrolls or
FeedBurner dramatically increases high-yield backlinks and traffic
– Outstanding user friendliness
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User “pulls” information he wishes to get, does not get any unwanted
messages “pushed” at him (as opposed to e.g. e-mail inbox)
Ease of use, tailor-made, therefore more likely to “stick”
Protection of privacy: no entry of e-mail address, easy to “opt out”
RSS in union context – Benefits and ideas
• Benefits of RSS feeds to union work
– Enhanced outreach to members and stakeholders
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RSS offers yet another “vantage point” for information deployment to
people interested in union work and topics
Unlike email, which may get caught in spam filters, RSS can reach an
interested audience quickly and effortlessly for urgent action (strikes etc.)
Using RSS directories, more users can be driven to visit unions’ websites
and made aware of topics and theses
Syndication of news from other unions around the world helps members
and stakeholders to understand the global outreach of union work and
showcases global interaction and global networking
RSS feeds – What they are
and what they do
• Download this presentation here:
– http://data.ei-ie.org/Common/GetFile.asp?ID=5278&mfd=off&LogonName=Guest
• Looking forward to your questions and suggestions now!
• Or contact me later:
– Timo Linsenmaier
Professional Assistant, Web Communications
Education International
5 Bd. du Roi Albert II
B-1210 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32-2-224.0625
Fax: +32-2-224.0606
e-mail: timo.linsenmaier@ei-ie.org