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Title: RSS - bringing news to your desk
Author: Steve Nichols
Article:
A new way of delivering news to the computer desktop has hit the
web and it promises to turbo-charge the way we gather
information.
Called RSS (Really Simple Syndication), it is a format designed
for sharing web content such as news and features. An RSS
service (also known as an RSS channel or feed) consists of a
list of items, each of which contains a headline, description,
and a link to a web page. RSS can also include links to
multimedia files, such as MP3 "radio" programmes.
To use RSS, you need a special RSS news reader or "aggregator"
that will allow you to collect and display RSS services. The
news reader allows you to view the services you want, all
together in the same place. By automatically retrieving updates
it makes sure your content is always up to date.
For example, using the Awasu newsreader program on your PC you
could subscribe to feeds from Reuters, the BBC, CNN, the FT and
many others. Then, instead of surfing from one site to another
you just click on the service within the newsreader to get the
latest headlines. The sites can be scanned in seconds rather
than having to be laboriously loaded individually, saving you
having to surf around.
In an interview for the BBC, James Crabtree of The Work
Foundation, said that there's growing belief in the technology
community that e-mail is a system close to breakdown, thanks in
part to spam, unread newsletters, and the sheer weight of
messages.
"At the moment, not many people really know about using RSS. But
if more people knew what it was, I think they would use it. It's
just a really handy way of getting the information you want
without having to surf around for it," he said.
There are many different newsreaders available, many for free.
Most are applications that you download and install. Others are
web-based services that you can sign-up for and view using your
browser.
Once installed, you have to find the newsfeeds you are
interested in. This can be tricky as there are literally
thousands. One good source is
http://w.moreover.com/categories/category_list_rss.html that has
industry specific feeds available. Another is
http://www.feed24.com/ that will let you search for all manner
of information.
RSS is going to revolutionise the way we share corporate
information too. You can issue press releases via RSS or share
your corporate intranet content with the rest of the planet. Or
how about providing a corporate news feed from London for your
Singapore intranet?
You can even have your own MP3 radio programmes - or Podcasts -
for people to download. See
http://www.infotechcomms.co.uk/audio/rss/rss.xml
Anything is possible as programmes are available to convert an
RSS feed into HTML for web pages.
FAQs
What is RSS? It stands for Really Simple Syndication - a way of
pushing news and other material from a website direct to your
desktop. Alternatively, it is a way of sharing data with other
web sites or intranets - automatically.
What is so special about it? With RSS you choose what you would
like to subscribe to. Then, the RSS news reader or aggregator
makes sure that your news sources are updated on a regular basis.
How does it work? RSS uses a format called XML (Extensible
Mark-up Language). XML is closely related to HTML and is a great
format for content that is shared between different platforms
such as web, print and databases.
Where do I get a news reader program from? There are lots
available, but the most common for Windows include NewzCrawler,
FeedDemon and Awasu. For Macintosh OSX the BBC recommends
Newsfire and NetNewsWire.
Do I have to use a news reader? No. You can sign-up to RSS
newsfeed via a web-based service like Bloglines
(http://www.bloglines.com/). Most of these types of service are
free.
How do I sign up to a newsfeed? First you have to find a feed
that interests you. There are literally thousands to choose from
and there are web-based lists to help you. You can also look out
for the small "RSS" or "XML" image that appears on some web
sites - such as Reuters.co.uk. If you see this symbol, click on
it and it will display a page of what looks like gibberish. This
is the XML code. All you then have to do is copy the URL of that
page (eg http://www.microsite.reuters.com/rss/uk/topNews) into
your news reader or Bloglines account and you will be able to
read the latest news.
Is RSS just for text-based news? Far from it. RSS can be used to
deliver multimedia to your desktop. Podcasting is the name given
to audio feeds that are delivered to your computer for
downloading to your iPod or MP3 player. You will find a feature
on podcasting on the cib.uk.com website.
About the author:
Steve Nichols TechNotes blog is at
http://infotechcomms.blogspot.com/ and is described as a regular
ramble that tries to demystify technology and help people get to
grips with new-fangled gizmos, such as the internet, streaming
audio/video, DTP and digital imaging. You can get it via RSS at
http://infotechcomms.blogspot.com/atom.xml
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