Managing Blogs

The Reader’s Perspective

Ralf Stoltze

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 2

Managing Blogs: Outline

• Repetition – Definition of a Blog

• The Problem – Monitoring Blogs

• The Solution – RSS/Feeds

• Implementations

• Conclusion

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 3

Repetition: What is a Blog?

• Web page with regularly published articles, displayed in a reverse chronological order

• Provides online forms to write articles and to publish them

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 4

The Problem: Monitoring Blogs

New articles/

updates

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 5

The Solution: RSS/Feeds

“Explaining RSS

is like explaining sex.

You just don't get it

until you do it.”(George Siemens)

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 6

The Solution: RSS/Feeds

• Family of XML file formats (structured data)

• Includes web content (articles, images, …) and a link to the original resource

• Can be processed automatically

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 7

RSS: An example Feed<rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/“> <channel> <title>Umea International Blog</title> <link>http://sverige.2meter3.de/blog</link> <item> <title>The Lofoten Islands & Abisko Gallery</title> <link>http://sverige.2meter3.de/blog/index.php/2005/04/23/the-lofoten-islands-abisko-

gallery/</link> <pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 18:40:37 +0000</pubDate> <category>On the Road</category> <description>Wow, it took 25 days after our return from the Easter trip to create the

gallery! Altogether, we three “digital” photographers shot more than 666 pictures. An adequate selection had to be made, while obtaining the chronological order and adding comments. Lofoten Islands have definitely been the most impressive place ...</description>

</item> <item> … </item> </channel></rss>

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 8

RSS-Readers: Managing Feeds

• Feeds are usually offered by blogs

Piece of software

• Manage feeds

• Add/remove subscriptions

• Update feeds

RSS-Reader

XML Feed

Subscribe

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 9

RSS-Readers: Overview

Implemen-

tations

Stand-alone

software

Online

services

Browser

integration

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 10

RSS-Readers: Implementations

• Installation on local computer

• Wide range of products

• Examples: BottomFeeder, RSS Bandit, Feedreader

Stand-alone

software

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Feedreader: Overview

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 12

Feedreader: Overview

Same content –

displayed in

different ways

Browser vs.

Feedreader

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RSS-readers: Implementations

• No installation required

• Run in a normal browser

• Examples: shortWIRE, Waggr, Bloglines

Web-based

services

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 14

Bloglines: Overview

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 15

RSS-readers: Implementations

• Using existing software

• Not yet fully developed

• Examples: Firefox, Opera

• MS Internet Explorer has no RSS support!

Browser

integration

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 16

Firefox: Live Bookmarks

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Firefox: Live Bookmarks

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 18

Opera: Newsfeeds

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 19

Conclusion

• Different implementations of RSS (benefits and drawbacks)

• RSS helps to manage blogs and informs you automatically about new articles

• RSS as a standard tool like E-Mail

2005-04-28 Ralf Stoltze 20

Bicyclemark on RSS in HUMlab

“There is a problem in the world:

There are people who know about RSS

and there are people who don't and are

scared.

I don't know how we're gonna come

together.”