Blogs and RSS: Powerful Information Management Tools

Published date01 December 2005
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/07419050510644374
Date01 December 2005
Pages28-29
AuthorWhitney Davison‐Turley
Subject MatterLibrary & information science
Blogs and RSS: Powerful Information
Management Tools
Whitney Davison-Turley
28 LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 10 2005, pp. 28-29, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050510644374
In May 2005, the Pew Internet and
American Life Project released new
data on blogging in the USA. Their
research, updating a previous study
done in January, showed that ``9
percent of internet users now say they
have created blogs and 25 percent of
internet users say they read blogs''[1].
While the numbers are still fairly small,
they do show a substantial interest base
for blogs and blogging.
Librarians love blogs
Although there is no research on the
specific numbers, it is probably safe to
say that info-savvy librarians are more
aware of and interested in blogging than
the general public. The Library
Weblogs page on the Libdex site[2]
lists hundreds of library blogs from
around the world, and the list is by no
means comprehensive. Librarians have
embraced blogs as a convenient and
effective way to keep themselves
informed, to share thoughts and ideas
with each other, and to communicate
with their patrons.
This article focuses on using blogs as
an easy way to keep up and stay
informed, as a means to tame an
overflowing email inbox, and as an
overall information management tool.
Blogs defined
As the users of and uses of blogs
have multiplied, they have begun to
take on different forms and shapes to
meet a wide variety of needs. However,
the basic definition for a blog has
remained the same: ``A weblog (now
more commonly known as a blog) is a
web-based publication consisting
primarily of periodic articles (normally
in reverse chronological order)''[3].
Blogs can be maintained by one
person or a group of people, and can be
for personal or business purposes, but
they almost always retain the key
feature of having a list of articles or
posts in reverse chronological order. In
addition, most blogs allow readers to
post comments, creating an interactive
environment with multiple points of
view.
Although blogs began as primarily
personal diaries, they have now
morphed into powerhouses of opinion
and information, as they are ideal for
publishing niche information on any
topic, no matter how big or how small.
Blogs are used to consolidate resources
that may otherwise be shared through
an excessive number of e-mails[4], to
advocate a position or personal point of
view[5], to cover areas of interest too
small for print publishing[6], and for
news and commentary on any topic or
area that requires frequent updating[7].
Really simple syndication (RSS):
the rest of the story
Unfortunately, a frequently updated
blog also requires frequent reading, and
having to visit ten or 20 web sites every
day or every couple of days is neither
easy nor convenient. Blogs are terrific
information resources, but their
companion software, RSS, is what
really makes them powerful.
RSS and its companion standards
such as Atom, creates a feed from a site
that readers can then add into an
aggregator to create one point of access
for many sources of information.
Instead of having to visit multiple web
sites, the reader opens the aggregator of
his or her choice and reads all of the
RSS feeds from all their chosen blogs in
one easy place. The experience is like
reading a customized newspaper
whenever it is convenient for the user.
RSS has expanded far beyond the
blogging community as more and more
online information providers realize the
benefits of making syndicated content
available to readers. Any information
resource that updates regularly can
benefit from an RSS feed, and content
providers are steadily adding RSS to
their resources. RSS-enabled sites
include most blogs, the major news
sites like CNN and Reuters, some
journals (especially in the sciences),
databases such as PubMed[8], and
more. Sites that provide an RSS feed
usually have a syndicate link or a small,
orange XML or RSS button.
Making the most of blogs and RSS
The key to tying blogs, RSS, and
other content together is the aggregator.
There are an increasing number of
aggregators available to meet a wide
range of reader needs[9], from the very
basic to the very complex.
For those who only want to track a
couple of feeds, My Yahoo![10] and the
Google Desktop Web Clips[11] feature
are convenient and easy to use. One
benefit of My Yahoo! is that it is
accessible from any web-based
machine, no matter where the user may
be. The Google Desktop Web Clips will
automatically identify feeds on web
sites the user regularly visits, making it
easy to add syndicated content that
might otherwise be missed.
To track a large number of feeds, a
specific aggregator application
provides more features and a dedicated
interface for viewing collected feeds.
One very popular web-based
application is Bloglines[12], which is
free, easy to use, and accessible from
anywhere. Bloglines and other high-end
applications offer a variety of features,
including the ability to track electronic
discussion lists within the aggregator
instead of through e-mail, tracking
shipped packages, newsgroup posts,

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