This pathfinder provides pointers to a panolply of resources on RSS, or Really Simple Syndication (or RDF Site Summary), which is a method of distributing Web content for display in an aggregator or RSS-capable Web browser. Very simply put, RSS allows Internet users to view headlines and summaries from multiple Web sites together in a single interface, thus making for more efficient information gathering. Instead of checking five different news sites, any number of online discussions, or even the homepage of your local library, RSS enables you to scan updated information from all of these in one window. This guide is intended for potential end-users of RSS: educators, librarians, researchers - or anyone who wants to find new information fast - as well as those wishing to wade into producing their own syndicated content, from bloggers with the need to feed, to media specialists wanting to alert patrons to new arrivals and events in the school library. Be advised that many of these resources assume a certain comfort level on the part of the reader - be prepared for lots of acronyms, code snippets, and general jargon. Newbies may wish to start with the Library Journal article cited below in the Web section.

For ease of printing, this Pathfinder is formatted to scroll continuously. The links below, however, can be used to jump to specific sections.

A really simple history of RSS

As display formats go, RSS has a pretty tangled history. At present, seven different formats, controlled by three different owners, and dating back to somewhere between 1997 and 1999, all can be called RSS. All but two of these are considered obsolete, with the most popular current version 2.0 developed by a company called UserLand that acquired one of the earlier versions when developer Netscape abandoned it. RSS at Harvard Law (below) describes RSS as a "dialect of XML," which is itself a markup language similar to HTML, but much more powerful. The resources referenced below offer historical information on the development of RSS (See RSS at Harvard Law: RSS History and XML.com: What is RSS? ), as well as more general discussions and some how-to information and tutorials.

An introduction to RSS news feeds
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/w-rss.html?dwzone=web

IBM presents this comprehensive overview of RSS. Typically in-depth and well executed in the IBM style.

Feed your head: Keeping up by using RSS
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA296443

This Library Journal article discusses RSS in the context of managing information overload, with a useful dissection of some of the terminology used in other articles.

Radio UserLand: All about RSS
http://radio.userland.com/allAboutRSS

A very user-friendly introduction, with a plethora of links to other great sites.

RSS at Harvard Law: RSS history
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssVersionHistory

A timeline of RSS development, with some discussion of the key players, written by Dave Winer (the ersatz father of RSS).

Sharing your site with RSS
http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/03/17/index3a.html?tw=authoring

Wired Magazine's Webmonkey site tells you what RSS is, and then what you can do with it.

XML.com: What is RSS?
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/dive-into-xml.html

A good overall discussion of the topic on a well-travelled XML discussion site.

[Periodical articles]
The following articles offer layman's term discussions of RSS, it's ties to XML (Extensible Markup Language), and its potential value to educators.
These are all available via GALILEO (http://www.galileo.usg.edu) through the Computer Source database.

Bass, S. (2005). RSS made simpler. PC World, 23(2), 68.

A very quick read that explains how to use Yahoo's built-in RSS reader, as well as where to find feeds to read. Indeed.

Fichter, D. (2004). Using RSS to create new services. Online, 28(4), 52-55.

Useful discussion for those interested in implementing RSS on their own sites, with a focus on using RSS "behind the firewall" within organizations to publush news and commuinicate between departments.

Richardson, W. (2004). Blogging and RSS: The "what's it?" and "how to" of powerful new Web tools for educators. Multimedia & Internet@Schools, 11(1), 10-13.

Richardson discusses RSS and blogging together as ways for educators to extend their reach. Includes a list of the top aggregators (special software used to view RSS feeds).

Roberts, G. (2005). Small libraries, big technology. Computers in Libraries, 25(3), 24-26.

Covers computer use in small libraries, but includes discussion of new methods of patron access, including the use of RSS.

Spence, B. (2004). Feed(ing) frenzy. Information Today, 21(8), 16-17.

Cites RSS as "one of the good things" to come out of the blog explosion of recent years, especially as used by librarians.

[Books]
Print resources beyond magazine articles concerning RSS are failry hard to come by, as the topic is fairly narrow. Most texts address XML, of which RSS is just a component.

006.7 Ayers, D. & Watt, A. (2005). Beginning RSS and atom programming. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing.

As the title suggests, this is aimed at developers, but it is written for the novice. Atom is another syndicatio format similiar to RSS.

005.7 Finkelstein, E., & Pirillo, C. (2005). Syndicating Web sites with RSS feeds for dummies. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing.

A good place to start for the beginning Web developer or intrepid media specialist ready to wade on in and do some syndicating.

005.7 Hammersley, B. (2003). Content syndication with RSS. Sebastopal, CA: O'Reilly & Associates.

O'Reilly is well known among IT professionals for their excellent technical titles - this one is aimed at Web developers and programmers.

006.7 Geroimenko, V. (2004). Dictionary of XML technologies and the semantic Web. London: Springer.

RSS only gets a brief entry here, but this title could be very helpful to someone wishing to understand the larger context of XML.

[software]
Take your pick of RSS aggregator applications or RSS-enabled Web browsers, and then check out some of the feeds listed. Many aggregators and browsers will automatically detect RSS feeds from sites.

Aggregators:

AmphetaDesk
http://www.disobey.com/amphetadesk/

Free, cross-platform (Mac/Win/Linux) and open source. Go get it.

NetNewsWire
http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/

This Mac OS X reader gets top marks from MacWorld, O'Reilly, and others, and it has a really nice logo.

SharpReader
http://www.sharpreader.net/

Highly-rated Windows RSS reader; handles all RSS versions as well as ATOM and Dublin Core modules. Donationware.

(Note: If you have a My Yahoo account (http://my.yahoo.com/), you can integrate RSS feeds into your start page. Go to their FAQ at http://my.yahoo.com/s/rss-faq.html for more information.)

Browsers:

Firefox
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Firefox is fast, customizable, emminently cross-platform, and handles RSS feeds as "Live Bookmarks" which you use much the way you use ordinary bookmarks or favorites.

Opera
http://www.opera.com/

This slick application runs on almost anything - Windows, MacOS, Linux, OS/2, even your mobile phone - and handles RSS feeds in its email client.

Feeds: follow the links below, or look for on your favorite site.

The Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator
http://www.hpana.com/

This site has everything you need to keep you in Hogwarts Heaven - the RSS link is at the top of the page.

Feedster
http://www.feedster.com/

The Google of RSS feeds - search for your favorite obsession.

National Public Radio
http://www.npr.org/rss/index.html

Keep up with news and developments in the world of public radio - and never miss another pledge drive.

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/index.html

Get up-to-the-minute headlines from the paper of record.

The Shifted Librarian
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/

The are several feeds available on the home page given above - sign up and stay on the bleeding edge of librarianship.