Blogs and RSS : Presentation for IST 100

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Blogs and RSS Presentation for IST 100

• Elaine M. Lasda Bergman
• Reference Librarian and
• Bibliographer for Social Welfare, Gerontology,
  and Reference
• Dewey Graduate Library
• ebergman_at_uamail.albany.edu

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Todays Topics

• Blogs
• What is a Blog?
• Finding Blogs
• How is a blog used?
• Blogs vs. Wikis
• Microblogging

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Todays Topics (contd)

• RSS
• What is RSS?
• How is RSS used?
• Feed Readers
• Finding Feeds
• Mashups

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BLOGS
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What is a Blog?

• Weblog coined in December 1997
• Robot Wisdom Weblog Jorn Barger
• Websters Dictionary A website that contains an
  online personal journal with reflections,
  comments and often hyperlinks provided by the
  writer. emphasis added

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What is a Blog? (contd)

• The first blog (taken down in 2008)
• http//robotwisdom.com
• Typical blog today
• http//my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog/

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What is a Blog? (contd)

• Typical attributes of a blog
• Date and time of update is the priority
  architecture of website
• Frequently updated emphasis on immediacy of
  information release
• Posts are generally from a single person
  viewpoint

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What is a blog? (contd)

• The stream of information in a blog is from the
  blogger(s) to the readers
• Readers may respond/comment, but only the blogger
  can edit the original content
• http//blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/

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How is a Blog Used?

• Personal Diaries
• http//blondemomblog.com/
• Humor
• http//failblog.org/

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How is a Blog Used?

• News
• http//lafd.blogspot.com
• http//www.seattle.gov/council/clark/blog/
• Commentary
• http//voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/
• Collections of Resources
• http//julie430.blogspot.com/

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How is a Blog used?

• Internal workflow in the workplace
• Reduces e-mail
• Collects and organizes information in one
  location
• http//liblogs.albany.edu/ulibreference

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Finding Blogs

• Blog Search Engines
• Google Blog Search http//blogsearch.google.com
• Technorati
• http//technorati.com
• Bloglines
• http//www.bloglines.com

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A Good Blogging Resource

• Blogsearch
• http//www.blogsearch.com/
• Has various tools for blogging and for searching
  blogs.

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Wikis vs. Blogs

• What do Blogs and Wikis Have in Common?
• Easily updated minimal coding/html
• Can use folksonomies (tagging) for organization
• Usually include navigation by search engine
• Can incorporate RSS for notification of updates

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Wikis vs. Blogs (contd)
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Wikis vs. Blogs (contd)

• When to wiki and when to blog?
• Most useful information architecture
• Number of contributors
• Collaboration vs. communication
• Information shelf life

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Microblogging
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Microblogging

• Definition A form of blogging that lets you
  write brief text updatesabout your life on the
  go and send them to friends and interested
  observers via text messaging, instant messaging
  (IM) email or the web.
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-blogging

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Characteristics of Microblogging

• Maximum of 140 characters per post
• Updated frequently, multiple times per day
• Items too insignificant for an essay (blog) or
  e-mail(direct communication)

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Characteristics of Microbloggers

• Information providers
• Connect with others, status updates
• Chatter and conversations
• Share information interesting web links
• Report news

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Characteristics of Users

• Information hub
• Large number of followers
• Valuable updates
• Automated tools posting information
• Friends
• Everyday people that one may or may not know in
  real life
• Information Seeker
• Posts rarely, but reads regularly

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Microblogging Fun Uses

• Chatter
• Conversation
• Sharing Information
• Reporting News
• Implications
• April Fools or portent of the future?
• http//www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/01/guardi
  an-twitter-media-technology

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Microblogging work uses

• Mobile learning
• Sharing conference presentations
• Collaboration
• Team updates
• Troubleshooting
• Marketing and promotion

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Microblogging Sites

• Twitter http//www.twitter.com
• Jaiku http//www.jaiku.com
• Plurk http//www.plurk.com/
• Facebook http//www.facebook.com

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Questions?
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RSS
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What is RSS?

• Really Simple Syndication
• Rich Site Summary
• RDF Site Summary
• Real-time Simple Syndication

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What is RSS? (contd)

• Invented by Netscape in 1999 with their My
  Netscape Network service (revamped in 2001)
• Syndication identical content is published
  simultaneously in numerous locations
• PUSH technology

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What is RSS?

• Updates are sent to a feed reader as they are
  posted
• Reader collects feeds from many websites
• Feeds provide links to individual updates

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How is RSS used?

• Traditional uses
• Updates to blogs
• News/newspaper site updates
• Political/campaign site updates

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How is RSS Used? (contd)

• Newer uses
• Updates to wikis (e.g., Wikipedia)
• Search Engine Alerts
• Updates to saved database searches (ie Ebsco)
• Journal Table of Contents Notifications
• Updates to library collections and catalogs
• Notices from HR/Administration

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Feed Readers

• Workstation only
• IE 7 Section in Favorites
• AmphetaDesk http//www.disobey.com/amphetadesk/
• NewsGator www.newsgator.com
• Feedreaders www.feedreader.com
• Web Based can be accessed from any computer
• Bloglines www.bloglines.com
• NewsIsFree www.newsisfree.com
• Feedeachother www.feedeachother.com
• Recommends similar or related feeds

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Examples of RSS Feeds

• Bloglines
• http//www.bloglines.com
• Internet Explorer
• Albany Times Union http//www.timesunion.com
• Ebsco searches
• http//library.albany.edu/databases/search.asp

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This Web Page has no Feeds!

• Page2RSS (http//www.page2rss.com) will create a
  feed which displays updates to web pages which
  do not have RSS feeds.
• Example http//www.recovery.gov/

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How do you create an RSS feed?

• Usually an XML or Atom file
• Many web resources
• RSS Board www.rssboard.org
• atomEnabled www.atomenabled.org
• RSS 1.0 or 2.01
• http//www.wizard-creek.com/rss/tutorial/rss-websi
  te-feed-manual.htm

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Will Twitter Replace RSS?

• http//www.twitip.com/will-twitter-replace-rss/
• Twitterfeed http//twitterfeed.com/
• Convert twitter to RSS? IBM has an app to do this
  using PHP. (google it)

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Mashups

• Combine multiple RSS feeds into one feed
• Filter/limit RSS feeds to specific topics
• Combine RSS with other dynamic web content to
  create new information
• http//code.google.com
• http//pipes.yahoo.com

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Discussion