Emerging Technology: RSS Understanding RSS CATS 2005 Presentation Steve Sloan steve.sloansjsu.edu ht

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Emerging Technology RSSUnderstanding
RSS CATS 2005 PresentationSteve
Sloansteve.sloan_at_sjsu.eduhttp//sloantech.blogsp
ot.com/
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Understanding RSS

• All you need to know
• Keeping it simple!
• Good functional definitions
• RSS (pronounced "arr-ess-ess") is a web
  syndication protocol primarily used by news
  websites and weblogs
• Format for delivering summaries of regularly
  changing web content
• RSS is the format for repackaging and viewing
  content from changing websites

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Goals

• Define key terms associated with RSS
• Provide an overview of the technologies
  associated with RSS
• Discuss how RSS, and related technologies, can be
  a way to manage information
• Discuss possible ways that RSS and related
  technologies may evolve

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Terms RSS

• Really Simple Syndication
• A family of XML based web-content distribution
  and republication (Web syndication) protocols
  primarily used by news sites and weblogs.
• Other definitions
• Rich Site Summary
• RDF Site Summary

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RSS A technical definition

• More than you need to know
• RSS is a file format that allows anyone with a
  website from large media companies to
  individual commentators to easily "syndicate"
  their content, similar to how comic strips and
  popular columns are syndicated by their owners to
  hundreds of newspapers. Except that on the Web,
  the RSS syndication is usually free, and the
  content that is syndicated is often not the full
  entry, but excerpts and links back to the
  originating website.

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Terms Weblog

• A weblog, Web log or simply a blog, is a web
  application which contains periodic, reverse
  chronologically ordered posts on a common
  webpage.
• Such a Web site would typically be accessible to
  any Internet use
• The changing nature of weblogs, and their reverse
  chronological ordering, makes them especially
  suited to RSS feeding

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Terms Feed

• A file document, in XML format, associated with a
  changing website, typically a weblog
• As with all XML documents, RSS documents employ a
  set of tags that describe elements of the text
• Typically these files are updated dynamically as
  the site changes

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Terms Aggregation

• A program that reads an RSS or an Atom feed is
  called an aggregator
• Aggregator programs collect data from multiple
  feeds and consolidate them into a simple to
  navigate view
• Aggregators are typically constructed as
  extensions to a Web browser, as extensions to an
  email program, or as standalone programs
• An aggregator program is also called a reader

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Terms Syndication

• Making Web feeds available from a site so other
  people can display an updating list of content
  from it
• Focuses on changing content
• For example one's latest forum or weblog
  postings, etc.
• This originated with news and blog sites but is
  increasingly used to syndicate any information

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How does RSS work?

• Feeder
• The XML format file is typically updated
  dynamically by a web application that lists and
  links changes to a web site
• Reader
• A program known as an RSS aggregator, or feed
  reader, checks RSS-enabled feeds on behalf of a
  user and displays any updated information that it
  finds

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Standards(RSS and Atom)

• Many flavors of RSS
• .9x, 1.x, 2.x
• Atom (a fork in the road!)
• Rooted in RSS
• Not backwardly compatible with any of the
  previous RSS versions
• Feedburner converts Atom to RSS

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RSS 2.0 and enclosures

• Allows for attachments called enclosures
• Podcasting
• Download based
• Videocasting
• Mediablogging
• Mobile blogging (moblogging)
• Download, not streaming

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Consuming an RSS feed

• Each feed is like a food
• Each feed is unique
• The reader is like a meal
• A well rounded meal is an aggregation of foods
• An RSS reader is the program that presents the
  information feeds
• The reader provides the user interface

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Feeds
A typical RSS feed
Headlines
Content
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Many faces of RSS
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How do RSS readers differ?

• Three basic types of client side applications
• Extensions to a Web browser
• Extensions to an email program
• Standalone programs
• Can be Web applications
• Can have widely different user interfaces

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Web based readers

• Bloglines
• Your RSS feeds can be shared
• You see what the people you read read
• My Yahoo
• NewsGator Online
• Free
• DiVX connected devices

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Local RSS readers

• Different 3rd party readers for PC MAC
• Hundreds of readers
• List too long to include

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The real-time web

• Technorati
• Uses RSS to track the popularity of weblogs by
  keeping track of links between them
• Attention.xml
• Extends the RSS reader by focusing on what people
  are reading and what information matches the
  profile of what you normally do read

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Future of RSS

• Social groups and human relations will be mapped
  and extend into RSS
• XFN, FOAF and Rojo
• Rich content can be delivered via download, using
  RSS
• Ability to deliver rich content will grow
• Podcasting
• Videocasting
• Mobile devices

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Mobile devices and RSS

• Portable devices with always-on connection will
  grow market for download based media
• Ability to create, post and access information
  nears ubiquity

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Secure RSS?

• Is there such a thing?
• Transparency not always desired
• Secure RSS 2.0 and SSH/SSL encryption
  technologies could be employed
• Private channels
• One to one
• One to few
• One to many
• RSS Digital Dial Tone

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Transparency

• By nature RSS is transparent
• This can be good or bad
• May violate privacy
• Invites the world into the classroom
• Some solutions for this
• Use application layer security (SSL/SSH)
• Secure RSS?
• Do we adapt to provide more transparency, or do
  we adapt the tool to provide greater security?
• Route around nature of Internet may make it
  difficult to not be transparent

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RSS Pitfalls

• Get all the news you want, and none you dont?
• Folks can subscribe to channels that only fit
  their world view
• Increase polarization
• More Red vs. Blue
• Raising the bar on information compilation
• Increase stress and anxiety
• Aggregation aggravation
• Overload

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Contact info and conversation

• SJSU
• Steve.sloan_at_sjsu.edu
• [phone]
• General
• Skype/AIM ssloansjca
• Web www.edupodder.comMain Geek Blog
  sloantech.blogspot.com
• [phone]
• S_sloan_at_mac.com

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My Favorite Feeds

• Bob Scoblescoble.weblogs.com The human
  aggregator
• VersiontrackerBoth windows and mac
• ItconversationsTreasures of information
• Backup BrainDori Smith her husband
• The Big PictureSJSU Alpha Prof Dennis Dunleavy

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www.sjsu.edu/cats/2003/showcase/