Blogs and RSS Feeds What Why and How

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Blogs and RSS Feeds What Why and How?

• Steven M. Cohen
• Rivkin Radler LLP
• Library Stuff

October 20st, 2004
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Topics Covered

• Weblogs - What? How? Why? Where? Who? When?
• RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

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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

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What? (Examples)

• Library Stuff (www.librarystuff.net)
• LISNews (http//www.lisnews.com)
• Resourceshelf (http//www.resourceshelf.com)
• The Shifted Librarian (http//www.theshiftedlibrar
  ian.com)
• Librarian.net (http//www.librarian.net)

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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)

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How? (Lets Create one)
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How? (Movabletype)

• Posting to a weblog with MovableType

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Which? (Choosing One)

• How do you get the software?
• Automatic archiving?
• Comments included?
• Spell check?
• Free Web Space?

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Why? (Using Weblogs)

• Easy to distribute content
• Communication within the building (reference
  desk)
• Great for Library Web pages.

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Why? (Examples)

• Library News
• Reference Desk Discussion (FARQs, patrons, etc)
• New Acquisitions.
• Consortia
• Book Clubs
• Backend CMS only

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Why? (Advantages)

• Easy, Easy, Easy, Easy, Easy to publish
• No need to download software
• Open source, open access feeling
• Interactive
• No Rules

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Why not? (Disadvantages)

• Information Overload?!
• Have to continuously update them
• Takes time on behalf of the writer
• Crossposting
• Subjective
• Reliability of content
• No Rules

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Where? (Examples)

• Waterboro Public Library (http//www.waterborolibr
  ary.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/BookCl
  ub/Bloggerbookclub.htm)

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Where? (Examples)

• Construction Diary (http//urbanafreelibrary.org/b
  ldgblog.html)
• University of Minnesota Libraries
  (http//blog.lib.umn.edu)
• Wisconsin Library Association (http//wlaweb.blogs
  pot.com/)
• Suburban Library System (http//www.sls.lib.il.us/
  )

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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

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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)

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Who? (LIS Specific)

• Peter Scotts List (www.libdex.com/weblogs.html)
• LISBlogsource (http//www.lisblogsource.net)
• ODP Library Weblogs (http//tinyurl.com/ew7o)
• Blog Without a Library - (http//www.blogwithoutal
  ibrary.net/links.html)

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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)
• Cant be read in a browser on its own.
• Look for the orange button!!!

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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/index.html
  
• Christian Science Monitor
• http//search.csmonitor.com/rss/index.html

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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

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Library Stuff
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Library Stuff RSS Feed
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Library Stuff Raw Feed
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Customize your RSS

• Daypop
• http//www.daypop.com
• After search find orange button
• Moreover
• http//p.moreover.com/cgi-local/page?klibrariano
  rss
• Replace librarian with any keywords.
• Wired News
• Feedster search

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More Customization

• Yahoo News Search - http//jeremy.zawodny.com/ynew
  s-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

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Disadvantages of RSS

• No filtering by keyword
• Can become unruly, quickly
• Not Everything is RSSified
• Difficult to synchronize aggregator between
  multiple computers (but...)

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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

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Other RSS Stuff

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

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Thanks

• Contact
• Web Form - http//www.librarystuff.net/contact.php
  
• AOL IM NYlibrarian
• Phone [phone]