Syndication and Website Content: Suggestions for Blogs, RSS and Internal Syndication
Walter Nelson, RAND Library Webmaster
- RSS: The I don’t get it factor
- very few peopel understand RSS
- you have to meet your users where they are
- not where you want them to be
- Symplifying RSS
- embed into web pages
- people get web pages
- use RSS w/o downloading anything
- ….
- The Tools
- Blog: Moveable Type
- RSS Parser: Feed2JS
- There are others in the market but I won’t be talking about them
- Mooveable Type setup
- installation is the hard part
- insatlled on your server
- use “canned formats” or can be customized
- can be formatted to look like your site
- can be formatted to be your site
- Moveable Type Features
- easy to use
- adminsitrator has controll over authors
- web interface to add content
- generates static HTML pages
- automatically generates RSS feed
- Think outside the blog
- blog is a tech with many features
- database publishing tool which sorts by chronology and category
- you don’t have to use a blog for blogging
- corp announcements, event calendar, image database, online newspaper, etc.
- Feed2JS
- second piece of the puzzle
- free from feed2js.org
- use theris site or install on their server
- generates JavScript to republish RSS feed content
- as bulleted list of links on your site
- hosted vs. installed
- no charge without special prep
- really easy to do
- pitfall: slows down load time
- moral: install on your server if at all possible
- “anncouncements” on RAND intranet is an RSS feed
- click headline to get the blog entry
- creates searchable archive
- [data entry screenshot]
- Feed2JS creates RSS driven content
- [Feed2JS interface screenshot]
- Additional uses
- external newsfeeds
- statis links list
- resource list for menus
- customers can subscribe to our links
- [example library news page screenshot]
- Category feeds
- parse feeds by category
- one blog creates multiple feeds
- Uses
- branch specific headings
- all announcements homepage
- Empower your users but not all the users use the power
Using Blogs for Internal Communications
Karen Coombs, University of Houston
- why blogs
- existing tech infrastructure was not well not used
- easy for staff to create and maintain content
- space for staff to provide feedback
- good for positioning news-type information
- how it began
- development of library’s strategic directions
- web management committee
- many different blogs
- committees
- service points
- Circ
- Reference
- working groups
- instruction team
- science librarians
- blogs for committees
- make announcements
- post minnutes and other docs
- gather on what the committee is doing
- [web management committee blog screenshot]
- service point blogs
- maintained by desk staff
- announcements
- new resources
- problems
- questions
- display on all computers at desk
- [Ref blog screenshot]
- workgroup blogs
- allow people to share info
- post items of note or interest
- reading materials for discussion
- [library instruction blog screenshot]
- unresolved issues
- feed subscription issues
- how does it fit with the current intranet
- integration with existing authentication systems
- keeping up with changes to blog permission
- old version of PHP needed for what we’re doing but other software needes current version of PHP
Blogs & Public Libraries
Aaron Schmidt, Thomas Ford Memorial Library
- No one cares that you have a blog
- it isn’t about the technology for the patrons
- it is about connecting
- Lamson Library WPOPAC
- Thomas Ford Memorial Library – Films on the Ford DVD list
- opac link
- imdb link
- commenting
- WesternSpringsHistory.org
- flickr tools
- flickr uploadr
- Blog this
- flickr badge
- new materials on flickr
- westmont library
- Firefox 2.0
- built in spellcheck
- meebo me
- blog elsewhere
- follow through