Adventures in Podcasting Episode 51
Podcast 51 published Sunday December 31, 2006 describes some of the challenges and processes I went through with bringing Podcasting and RSS to the Peoria Unified School District.
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In this episode…
PUSD Podcasting Updates (0:00)
PUSD RSS Updates (1:35)
RSS & Podcasting Tools (0:00)
Other items worth mentioning.. (11:02)
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PUSD Podcasting Updates (0:00)
PUSD RSS Updates (7:41)
RSS an Explanation…. You tell me.
What is RSS
The first question I am often asked about RSS is What is it? Which I respond it stands for Really Simple Syndication and it is cool! The reason it is so cool is the fact it can save you time. For example, I like to read the news from several different web sites.
I like read the:
World News updates from CNN (one click)
As well as the Technology News form CNN (one click)
For Politics, the Washington Post is my favorite (one click)
And when it is time to get up-to-date with Glendale and Peoria, I visit the Arizona Republic. (two clicks deep)
While I enjoy reading all the valuable information one these web sites, I find I spend a substantial amount of time looking for the news and waiting for pages to load. On each of the sites I just mentioned I have to click one or two times just to hit the page that contains the information I want to read. Even with my high speed connection at home, this still takes valuable time.
Using RSS and a tool called an RSS Reader or Aggregator, I can subscribe to each of these news sites through the RSS Feed. Now here is the cool part. My RSS Reader will look for new information on each of these web sites for me. Then the reader will display the headline and a short synopsis of the article. If I want to read the entire article, I click on the link in my reader. If not, I just go to the next story.
I know this sound pretty complicated the first time you hear it, but I assure you, it is not. To get started you need an Aggregator also known as a Feed Reader. These come in two flavors. Software that you install on your computer and web based. I will also note that some web browsers, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox and Safari all have built in RSS readers. Let’s take a moment to talk about web base and software based RSS Readers.
Installable Applications
Sharpreader (www.sharpreader.net)
RSS Reader (www.rssreader.com)
While there are a number of commercial RSS readers you can purchase, I personally look for free software when ever possible. I have had good luck with both SharpReader and RSS Reader.
Web based RSS Readers
Bloglines (www.bloglines.com)
Newgator (www.newsgator.com)
My Yahoo (my.yahoo.com)
Google Reader (www.google.com/reader)
There are also a number of great and free web based readers available. Both the installed and the web bases readers will monitor the websites you subscribe to. The one major difference is location. With the installed reader, you have to be sitting at that computer to read updates and the software will even alert me as new stories arrive. How cool it that!
The web base readers have an advantage because you are able to access them anywhere you have an internet connection. However, the web base readers will not alert you while you work as the installed readers will.
Okay, now that we know we need a feed reader, let’s find out how we find the feeds. Before we get too far into this, I do need to explain there are several ways an RSS link will be displayed on a web site.
Depending on the web site, an RSS feed may be displayed as text reading RSS, XML or with an image.
Many news sites will provide links to the RSS feeds toward the lower section of the page. If you want to fallow along on your computer, open your web browser to our local news paper www.azcentral.com
As you can see here, AzCentral displays text reading RSS. (If you are following along, go ahead and click that link.
The Washington Post displays the RSS text along with the XML image. As does CNN.
It can be difficult to find these links on a page. However you can use your browser to search for the text RSS on the page.
I have found this to be a time saver.
Once you find the link for the RSS feeds, you have the option to choose the type of information you wish to subscribe.
Notice the AzCentral site contains feeds from general Arizona news and local feeds to local shopping. This is where RSS truly begins to shine. By subscribing to only the feeds you wish to read, you do not have to sift through all the other content on a web site. Think of it like picking up the printed news paper and grabbing your favorite section first.
Okay, let’s recap what we have done so far. We talked about different RSS readers both installed and web based and we have looked at how to find an RSS feed. Now let’s talk about what an RSS reader does with that feed.
The reader displays the headlines and a synopsis of the article.
Once you find an article you wish to read, just click on the link to read it in the reader or open the article on the browser.
At this point you are ready to subscribe. For simplicity, I am going to assume you have installed one of the readers I mentioned earlier or you have signed up to use one of the web based tools. Each is slightly different so I will speak about subscribing in general terms. I am also going to assume you have your RSS reader open or a web browser open to your online reader. If you are using an online tool, I recommend having two web browsers open as it can be a time saver.
Step One – Located the RSS Feed index for the site you wish to subscribe. In my example, I will be using AzCentral.
Step Two – Place you mouse over the link to the feed. This will be text reading RSS, XML or be an image.
Step Three – Right Mouse Click on the link and choose Copy Shortcut.
Step Four – Paste the address into your RSS Reader. This will vary from Reader to Reader.
Step Five – Review the news stories you just subscribed.
RSS & Podcasting Tools (0:00)
Other items worth mentioning… (11:02)
American Radio Works http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/
Subscribe to their podcast - http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/podcast.html
December 18, 2006
Hearing America: A Century of Music on the Radio
A century ago, the first radio broadcasts sent music out into the air. Since then, music has dominated America’s airwaves and it’s been a cultural battleground.
Visit the website for this show at http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/radio/
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And finally, my name Shawn Wheeler and I welcome your comments and feedback. Drop me a note… my email address is - swheeler@peoriaud.k12.az.us
Remember, it is important enough to say to the class, it is important enough for the class to hear it again… Say it again with Podcasting! or What would you say… If the world could hear?
First uploaded on 12/31/2006 9:26 PM by Shawn Wheeler
