RSS Feed Redux

• RSS Feed Readers Explained
• Subscribing to RSS Feeds
• How to Add RSS Feeds to Your Web Site

RSS Feed Readers Explained

RSS is a format used to disseminate regularly changing content on a Web site. It allows users to stay informed by being notified when new content is available. This is more efficient than visiting multiple Web sites on a regular basis to determine if new information is available.

In order to take full advantage of this time-saving technology, two components are required:

1. An RSS feed to which you can subscribe;
2. A feed reader (sometimes referred to as an aggregator).

The RSS feeds are supplied by Web sites. They pull information from the site in XML format—it's not easy to read and it is not pretty. That is why you need an aggregator or reader. The reader takes that XML info and displays it as a nice, readable Web page.

A news aggregator or feed reader is used to read postings about the new content. Aggregator/feed reader software periodically checks RSS-enabled Web pages identified by a user and gathers the postings in one location.

There are basically three categories of feed readers: Desktop, Integrated, and Web-Based. Desktop is software downloaded onto a computer. Integrated is a feed reader that is part of another program, such as the Firefox Web Browser or Microsoft Outlook. Web-based is available on a Web site. Below are examples of the various categories of feed readers.

• Desktop RSS Feed readers/Standalone Clients
  • Awasu: http://www.awasu.com
  • FeedDemon: http://www.bradsoft.com/feedemon/index.asp
  • RssReader: http://www.rssreader.com/
  
  
  
• Integrated RSS feed readers
  • Firefox: Including Firefox extensions: Sage (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/77/) , Wizz (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/424/) and Firefox “Live Bookmark” feature
  • Outlook: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA011750001033.aspx?pid=CL100626971033
  • Newsgator: http://newsgator.com
  
  
  
• Web based RSS feed reader (No Software Installation)
  • Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com/
  • NewsGator: http://newsgator.com/ngs/default.aspx
  • MyYahoo!: http://my.yahoo.com/s/about/rss/

In case you are wondering, I primarily use Bloglines and downloaded the Windows notifier on my computer (http://www.bloglines.com/about/notifier). Notifier informs me when there is new information available on the RSS feeds I monitor. So I don't even have to open Bloglines until I am notified there are new items!

A good resource for learning more about feed readers is "Top Ten Free Windows RSS Feed Readers/News Aggregators" available at: (http://email.about.com/cs/rssfeedreaders/tp/windows_free.htm )

Subscribing to News Feeds

Now that you have selected a feed reader, it is time to subscribe to some feeds. The easiest ways to identify a feed is by an orange RSS or XML icon on a Web page. Below are a few icon examples:

To subscribe to a news feed, click on the XML/RSS icon, then copy the URL address (at the top of the page) into your feed reader. Many feeds simplify the process by allowing you to select the feed reader you are using.

Below is the workflow for subscribing to The Krafty Librarian using Bloglines which is available at: http://www.kraftylibrarian.blogspot.com/.

1. To subscribe to the Blog, select XLM/RSS Feed link.

2. The KrafyLibrarian Blog simplifies the subscription process by allowing you to select a Feed Reader. I will select Bloglines.

3. Selecting Bloglines opens this page. Now I need to log into my Bloglines account.

4. This is the Bloglines subscription page which will display automatically after I 've logged into my account. Click the "Subscribe" button.

5. On the left is a list of my subscriptions, including The Krafty Librarian. Done!

How to Add Feeds to Your Web Site

More and more Web site administrators use RSS feeds to display fresh content on their Web site. It is a way to update information without manually coding the updates.

A "script" is required to display the feed on a Web site. Most scripts are written using javascript or PHP. The scripts "automatically" update the headings, displaying the most recent headings when the feed is updated. When a visitor accesses the site, the script pulls data from the feed.

I use Feed2JS (http://feed2js.org) to generate the javascript and the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) code to display and format the RSS feed on a Web site. Feed2JS is a free service. Since I am not a wiz at scripting languages or CSS code, using the Web site to generate the code takes minutes, rather than hours (or possibly days for me!).

Below is an example of a feed I created on the NAHSL Web site using the PubMed RSS Feature and Feed2JS to create the javascript and CSS code.

The following screen shots outline the process for creating a PubMed RSS feed of search results, and then publishing the feed on a Web site.

Perform a PubMed search using the terms: health literacy. Select "Send to: RSS Feed".

Press the "Create Feed" button to generate the XML code for the feed.

Click the XML icon.

This is the XLM code. But don't worry, you only have to deal with the URL on the top of the page! Copy the URL address.

Go to the Feed2JS Web site to "Build" the javascript code: http://feed2js.org/index.php?s=build. Paste the URL address from the PubMed search—the one you just copied— into the box in the middle of the page. Respond to the other questions. Preview the feed, then generate the code.

Copy the javascript code and Paste the code into the HTML for the page that will display the feed.

Go to Style to format the feed with colors, paragraphs, and other text formatting capabilities. Then insert the CSS code into the HTML for the page that will display the feed.

Hope this article increases your understanding of RSS feeds, including how to subscribe to feeds and how to add feeds to your Web site.

Please feel free to contact me at penny.glassman@umassmed.edu or 508-856-5974 if you have any questions.