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Mary Harrsch
mharrsch@oregon.uoregon.edu
Network and Information Systems
Manager
College of Education
RSS (Rich Site Summary, sometimes known as Really Simple Syndication), is a very basic implementation of XML. It’s a syndication format that enables content providers to share news headlines, links to recent articles, descriptions, and even images—with not only other content providers, but also users of a variety of devices such as PDAs, cell phones, email ticklers, and voice update pagers. This is possible because XML is, fundamentally, a database tool instead of a display language like HTML.
In education, RSS files can be used to syndicate research news, learning modules, position vacancies, awards and achievements, new publications, significant donations –anything that is dynamic in nature and would be of interest to a particular audience. As information sources, RSS files can also be used to create subject-specific news portals for students, faculty, and staff, making it easier for them to stay abreast of discoveries and developments in their particular area of interest.
The RSS file itself, like its HTML cousin, is a simple text file. It begins with two lines to identify the version of XML and RSS that can utilize the file:
< ?xml version="1.0"?>
< rss version="0.91">
This is followed by "channel" information to describe the type of news contained in the file, the related Url of the publication, the language used, contact information, etc. Example:
< channel>
< title>Roman Archaeology</title> <link>http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mharrsch/romanarch.html</link>
< description>Items of interest about excavations and history of the ancient Roman world</description>
< language>en-us</language>
Then each news item, enclosed by the <item></item> tag, includes a title, a URL, and a description. Example:
< item>
< title>Wooden cart and team found in Roman grave </title>
< link>http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=262 </link>
< description>A team working under archaeologist Diamantis Triandafyllos uncovered the four-wheeled cart, which was decorated with bronze ornaments and buried along with the two horses that drew it, in a large tumulus near the village of Mikri Doxipara, some 25 kilometers. </description>
< /item>After all news items have been included, the document closes with:
< /channel>
< /rss>
XML does have a few characters that are reserved for special purposes. These characters must be replaced by their XML equivalents: The five most common are:
XML also does not like em dashes. I replace these with two hyphens (--).
To make sure you haven’t overlooked any special characters or made a mistake in your tags, you can validate your RSS file at http://feeds.archive.org/validator/check/
Although I have also learned to create my own RSS files from scratch, I have found it most convenient to create them with a tool like Blogger Pro (http://www.blogger.com/). Blogger is a web log service that provides an environment to produce date- and time-stamped postings of information. Blogger offers free weblogs, but only the Pro version (presently costing $35 per year for any number of blogs totaling no more than 100KB of text per month) provides automatic RSS file generation of your web log content and the ability to assign team members to a weblog.
Blogger Pro must first be configured to create an RSS file. The resulting RSS file is then updated automatically each time you post an item to your weblog.
First, select Settings:
Then select the Format tab:
Scroll down and select Yes for the Titles field and the URL field :
Then highlight and copy the code under the URL field (it includes the code under the Title field).
Save your changes. Then click on the Template button:
Scroll down to the section that begins with the <Blogger> tag and insert the Title/URL text below the </BlogDateHeader> tag:
Save your template changes and click the Publish button to apply your new template.
You should now see a Title field and URL field in your posting environment. Now press the Settings button again and choose the RSS tab.
Select your Descriptions option. With the None option, none of your own text will appear in the RSS file, only the Title and URL. With the Small option, the first paragraph of your text up to 255 characters will appear with the Title and URL. With the Full option, your entire text will appear as well as the Title and the URL. Scroll down and fill in your server directory location (like your other Blogger settings, use the full path from the root level of your host server), filename, and URL to your RSS file and click Save Changes:
You’re now ready to become the next competitor to CNN!
I have encountered a few glitches in Blogger’s RSS conversion tool, however. At this time, Blogger does not appropriately convert apostrophes to their XML ' equivalent. It also chokes on em dashes in text and ampersands in link references (some database driven sites and search tools result in links containing ampersands). I have reported these bugs to Blogger but in the meantime I simply omit apostrophes, avoid links with ampersands (sometimes I have to find a different source), and replace em dashes with --. Blogger-generated RSS files include a <lastBuildDate> tag that the RSS validator does not like, but it does not seem to interfere with actual use of the feed.
RSS files can also include images. Blogger Pro lets you upload files to attach to your post, but I prefer to insert HTML image source code into a post so I can manipulate the placement and alignment of the image. However, it is important to remember that the code must include an absolute (full) path to the image:
<
img src="http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mharrsch/commodusromansimss.jpg" align="right">
I usually just keep Dreamweaver open, insert the image I want into a blank Dreamweaver page, set the alignment, size, etc. then copy the <img src ... > code. Then with my web post in the edit window of Blogger, I place my cursor in the position of my web posting where I wish the image to appear and select "paste." You’ll see the result in the lower post list window.
When the RSS file is created, it includes the image reference as well and displays the image appropriately.
To publicize your news feed, submit your RSS file URL to an aggregator like http://www.syndic8.com/ Syndic8 will not only add your file to their database of over 10,000 news feeds, but also provide links to other news feeds you may wish to use in creating a news portal. I also recommend including a link to your RSS file in your web log template so it appears on your web page and can be easily copied by others interested in integrating your news file into a news portal.
Since news feeds cannot be displayed directly as HTML, embedding a news feed in a web page requires the use of CGI or JavaScript. However, there are free tools on the web to help you with this as well. I presently use a site provided by Wyethville Community College at http://www.wc.cc.va.us/services/news/
I simply select an appropriate feed from Syndic8, right click on the XML tag and copy the shortcut.
Then I paste it into the JavaScript tool on Wyethville’s page and press Enter. If the feed contains no errors, it will display the appropriate script to copy and paste into your web page.
It also nicely formats the feed with a gold title bar. If the feed contains an error, you can trouble shoot the feed by clicking on their "Validate feed" link. Although you can’t correct someone else’s feed, you can use the tool to check one of your own or to provide the information to email to the feed publisher to aid them in correcting their feed. To see a page created this way, go to http://interact.uoregon.edu/RSSNews/ITnews.html
Since RSS production and use is still rather new, I try to spread the word about its potential use. When I find a web page that contains news items I’d like to include in one of my news portals, but the page does not appear to offer an XML link, I email the webmaster with information about RSS, links to basic resources, and an explanation of how I would like to use an RSS feed from their site.
I’ve been looking for the next "killer app" for quite some time and think this implementation of XML technology could be it. Although relatively simple in concept, much like email, RSS provides an opportunity to efficiently communicate relevant information to specific interest groups and leverage distributed effort across a global environment.