I was able to set up a Google reader account successfully, however, I am having trouble advertising the rss feed of my blog. I will keep working on it.

Debbie W.

I tried to add rss, delicious and flikr to my blog, and I was not able to put any of them on.

Hi Sherry,

What happens when you try to add these items to your sidebar? Do you get an error, are they displaying improperly, or are they not displaying at all?

RSS and newsreaders, as well as the other services we have covered, seem to require more time and attention than I initially anticipated. I really thought these would be short cuts I could learn in order to get information to people, but my opinion today is that while these tools are clever and fun, I am not seeing any practical applications for my library.


Can my library take advantage of RSS to help get more people walking through the doors, more circulation, and more money? I'd like to know! And is there an audience right now, or does more time need to be taken to generate an audience?


Personally, I prefer radio!


But I look forward to more debate as the class continues.


Carol DeLuca

Of all of the services we are covering in this course, rss and newsreaders are the most overwhelming to me and require more time. There is so much information to process and organize. If I subscribed, I would try to keep it as simple as possible. Since I am the only staff member in the library at my school it wouldn't be possible for me to keep up with it on a consistent basis.


Professionally, I find it useful in getting information from professional journals such as School Library Journal. I was able to find some interesting articles. Since I haven't had a budget in a few years at my school, I am no longer able to subscribe to journals or magazines, so I think I would use rss for that purpose.


Personally, if I had time, I might subscribe to rss feeds about breast cancer. Since I am a survivor, that information would be helpful to me.


Debbie W.

I love the RSS feed. I wish I set up this google reader account for myself sooner. It seems like it will create a lot more time for my personal and professional newsletter reading and keep my inbox much less cluttered. I love how Google Reader organizes my life - i do have to spend a little more time to streamline my feeds and get it more categorized. I guess I am an information junkie who doesn't know when to stop.

I get overwhelmed with the listservs I belong too, and I wonder how the members of the listservs keep up with all the information that they do - blogs, library literature and the listservs themselves. Now I can give it a try.

In my library, I can see implementing RSS as great potential for keeping users in the loop on library newsletters, library events, new materials at our library, new programs at our library, Friends news...it is very exciting to me. Of course, I am a little overwhelmed at implementing everything that we have discussed so far in to our primitive website. But I see a light at the end of our tunnel. I think if done right, it will be yet another thing we can do to raise the public profile of the library in town. Especially, if we attract a following with this.

I feel like RSS feeds are more popular in the tech and information fields. Of course we work in an information field but as a part-time reference librarian I really don't feel like I need ALL that info. When I went out to look for sites on my personal interests like knitting, there are a lot but I wasn't sure of the value of them. I can see as these become more mainstream that I could use them more but at this point I'm still not sold.

RSS is perfect for the person who surfs the net and spends lots of time getting their info from it. It will certainly streamline searching the same sites looking for the latest entries. I guess my problem is that I think people should look for less information and more face-to-face interaction. I fear that the computer generation will lose the ability to relate to one another on a personal basis. Collecting more and more information doesn't make me a better person or a better librarian. However, if having an RSS feed on the library's website or blog will compel someone to come into the library and discover all the things we have for them, then bring on the FEED!

I plan on using the blog to post news about new acquisitions and events. I also plan on requiring my staff to read it so that they can keep up with what's going on. I think for myself and for libraries in general, the blog and the RSS feed will take the place, in part, of sending out a newsletter to those interested in what you do. One of my goals this year was to produce a paper newsletter and develop a mailing list. In this economy, it will be so much cheaper to do it online. You have helped me achieve my goal! One of the things I like about the blog and RSS feed is the way it looks - it is attractive.

Judy

RSS is a good tool to use to gather information of interest, however, I'm not sure that having a feed on my website is going to be useful for my library.

Debbie W.

After I'd added subscriptions to Google Reader, I began to image how overwhelming this could become...so I chose to read the article on tips for reducing RSS information overload. (I can't manage my email inbox very well, so I am worried about managing a constant feed of information!) I was relieved to learn that there are strageties to help. We currently have RSS feeds available through our subscription to BookLetters. No one that I am aware of has actually subscribed (!) I think I need to do a better job of advertising the feeds...maybe place the feed to the NYT Bestseller List on the homepage instead of making it it a click away. I personally love feeds and hope to develop a feed of new books added to the collection as my next enhancement to our webpage. Eden

What varying reactions to RSS! I made a couple of tries with RSS before I really started using it, and I'm not surprised at the different reactions we are seeing in this class. I know get my RSS feeds on my iPod Touch, and I find, when I am waiting somewhere that has a WiFi connection, I am likely to pull it out to read my headlines instead of pulling out a book or newspaper.

Just want to remark on a couple of the comments. I wouldn't try to fill your reader with items that you want to read everyday. In fact, if all of your feeds are ones that are updated daily, you will find that you drown in the amount of information that greets you ever time you check your feeds.

There really aren't many things I want to read everyday, but I do try to add the Globe's front page headlines since I like to keep up on the big news. But most of the feeds are for things I want to keep up on, but I would probably forget to check on because it's updated infrequently. For example, as a parent, one of my favorite feeds is for the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls. I want to make sure I don't have any recalled products, and, even though the news reports on some recalls, I've found that many don't ever make it to news reports. Another feed you all would probably be interested in for the next three weeks is the one for this wiki. You can then be alerted every time I post News to the front page or add assignments. And I subscribe to the feed for all of your blogs so that I don't have to visit each blog to see if anyone has posted anything. I'll be listing my top 10 favorite feeds on my blog by the end of the week.

As far as the amount of usage RSS is currently getting, a report from Forrester.com found last Fall that mainstream consumer adoption of RSS is just 11%. I bookmarked a reaction to the report in my Delicious links with a semls20 tag. I would have bookmarked that actual report, but it comes at a cost of $750.

However, I think that number is a little deceptive. Many people without knowing it. I know there is a much greater consumer adoption of Web portals like My Yahoo and iGoogle. Both of those portals use RSS to feed weather, news, etc. to their users. And many of those users know how to add more content to the pages, they just don't know the name for this is RSS.

And, to me, it isn't a big issue if there aren't many people are using RSS. The important thing is that the tool you're using, whether it be a blog, Flickr account, Twitter account, is serving a purpose that helps your library. The RSS feeds comes with that tool. It doesn't take an extra effort to add it, except in the case of some blogs where you do need to take that one final step to make sure you are advertising your feed. If you get just a few people who use that feed, that's a few more people who will have you updates pushed out to them. You won't need to rely on them coming to your Web site to get your updates.

At the beginning of this lesson, I mentioned that I thought RSS is probably the most important thing you'll learn in the class. Part of the reason for this is because I do think we are moving to a point where this will be the main way people will get there news. I have a lot of concerns about this shift, but there are a lot of benefits to it as well. As we are teaching information literacy to students, I think it's important component of how they seek information.

At the same time, RSS is really the driving force behind all of these Web 2.0 sites. I've had several questions recently about adding Flickr photos to your WordPress blogs or your Delicious links. In last week's class, we saw an example where a library had reposted its Delicious links its own Web site. The reason we are able to integrate all of these services together is that we are using RSS to push that information out to the other sites.

For those who are interested in promoting an RSS feed, I do recommend that you take a look at the "Exploring Further" exercise on using FeedBurner for your RSS feed. Given that there are just a few people using RSS, Feedburner gives you a great way to also connect with those who rely on e-mail for all of your information. Feedburner will provide a service where patrons can sign up for your RSS feed via e-mail. Once again, we can't rely on people visiting our Web sits as frequently as we like, but if they can subscribe to your blog via e-mail, that news will be pushed out to them. For an example of what this looks like, take a look at our News blog at http://www.semls.org/community/news/. In the right sidebar, you'll see a place where you can subscribe to the RSS feed, using the regular icon or through Google or Bloglines. There is then a box where people can enter their e-mail address to receive updates.

As you come back to do your second comment for the week, I would love it if you could respond to some bigger questions that were mentioned in this week's discussion:

Will the computer generation lose the ability to relate to one another on a personal basis?

Can my library take advantage of RSS to help get more people walking through the doors, more circulation, and more money?

And I will add the next question: Is it important that any of these online services get more people through the doors or is it just as valuable to reach these users at home even if they never come through the doors?

The discussion this week has been really terrific, and I have pondered a lot after reading everyone's comments and ideas.

For the Hyannis Library, getting more people in the doors and more circulation is vital because, beginning with FY2010, funding to the 7 village libraries will be calculated first by Circulation and next by Programming, followed closely by other traditional measures of success. I'm pretty sure that the policymakers did not consider remote access.

My goal is to use the new services learned in this class to continue to improve our connection to the community, and somehow I see the youth as key because they love information and librarians are information wranglers.

I'd like to think like a youth for about a day and then come back with a translation I can use to make RSS, etc. work. Whether this means a physical Hyannis Library or a virtual one -- well, we'll see.

Carol DeLuca

My week with RSS:

Well, I vowed that I would complete the exercises early this week, so I started last Saturday. I set up a Google Reader account and added several interesting feeds--both professional and personal. But most of them were gone when I looked again. Where did they go? So I had to re-subscribe.


Then I worked on adding the RSS to my blog. The title is there in the right side bar, but no symbol--and it doesn't work. I did have trouble entering the text widget contents into the second box. I'll try again and let you know how it worked out! Maybe I need new glasses :)


I was very taken by the article "5 best tips..." I have subscribed to RSS feeds in the past, but then forgot to check them regularly. Most don't have daily activity, but still....

And of course that means I have RSS feeds on my Outlook account at work and now in Google Reader. I guess they don't really need to be combined; that will be another way--besides folders-- I can keep professional and personal feeds separated.

Frankly, for professional feeds, I prefer to be notified..ala feedburner. I may try that.

Our library web site does not have an RSS feed. That would be good for the news and events section anyway. The blog on our staff intranet does include e-mail notification for new posts; we want staff to see that info!

I like the suggestions in that article and will try some of them.


I think RSS feeds can be useful for libraries. As a liaison to a specific academic dept., I can keep up to date with the dept happenings by subscribing to a feed to their web page. I can identify particularly useful websites, blogs, etc. in the department's subject area and keep up with the new developments in those fields. I can recommend those sites to students and faculty in the dept--and they can evaluate them and subscribe to appropriate feeds. (Another modern SDI service.)

I will better use my Google Reader after completing this week's exercises. My current style is to visit favorite webpages because I not only enjoy reading the content but I also get a kick out of admiring the "look" of webpages and blogs. It took me a long time to set up my RSS logo on my Wordpress Blog page. I suspect that I typed one character incorrectly but I could not identify my error. This was frustrating. But once I got the hang of it, I had fun changing the color of my icon so that it would better match the colors of my blog. ~ Janet

Is there a way to comment directly under a comment (that one wants to comment about)? I totally agree with jfarrar_12525.s who commented (above)


"RSS is perfect for the person who surfs the net and spends lots of time getting their info from it. It will certainly streamline searching the same sites looking for the latest entries. I guess my problem is that I think people should look for less information and more face-to-face interaction. I fear that the computer generation will lose the ability to relate to one another on a personal basis. Collecting more and more information doesn't make me a better person or a better librarian. However, if having an RSS feed on the library's website or blog will compel someone to come into the library and discover all the things we have for them, then bring on the FEED!"


I agree - I don't think that we can turn back the clock but I think that it is sad that there seems to be much less face-to-face communication and much more computer communication (I would like it to be reversed). Sincerely, Janet

"Will the computer generation lose the ability to realte to one another on a personal basis?"

They already sit next to each other and text back and forth! ARGH. But, on the other hand, perhaps shy individuals will feel more comfortable interacting by computer technology. They may be able to move to the face-to-face interaction after developing a relationship electronically. (I just finished reading My Most Excellent Year--which is written as tweets, etc.) Certainly there has developed a down side to initiating relationships "sight unseen."


"Can my library take advantage of RSS to help get more people walking through the doors, more circulation, and more money?"

This question may be better answered by those in public libraries.

As an academic library (open to the public), we have a pretty well-defined population. And more and more patrons are accessing our collections "electronically." But we also have the goal of being "library as place," and sponsor art exhibits, author presentations, speakers on various relevant topics, etc. We can and do serve as a "gathering place" for students. We certainly would like more people to attend our events, training sessions, etc., so an RSS feed from our "news and events" section of our web page could be helpful. Whether people would actually subscribe to our feed is another question. (Enter Feedburner.) We do much of our publicity via e-mail to listservs of the various groups in the school. "Bombarding" those lists is discouraged, so RSS feed could be a good alternative. ("Encourage" them to subscribe to the RSS feed from our web page during the student and faculty orientations.)


"Is it important that any of these online services get more people through the doors or is it just as valuable to reach these users at homeeven if they never come through the doors?"

Traditionally, usage has been measured by gate count. Interestingly, one of the organizations to which we report annual stats does ask for gate count info. But perhaps more important today for making collection and funding decisions, etc., is counting the "virtual usage." The real question is: "Are we serving our population and meeting their needs?"--regardless if it's virtually or face-to-face. We do need to have the face-to-face and virtual stats to support our budget requests, etc. A new definition of "library service" is emerging.

moocow - try adding the following code to your Text widget (I believe you can copy and paste from here):

<a href="http://moocow56.wordpress.com/"><img src="http://faq.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/b28.png" /></a>

If you add the code, click Save, and don't see any changes to the blog, try removing the text widget from your sidebar. Then, go back and re-add the text widget using the above code. You should just be able to modify the widget, but we had trouble on a blog earlier this week where it wouldn't update. We got it to work after removing the widget and then adding a new one.

Let me know how it goes!

Kathy

I feel like I am in the middle of the library-in-person vs. library-at-home scenario. Before I worked in a library, I was one of those people who wanted to do things on their own. Some people like being given tools to do that with - and I think a lot of Web 2.0 technology allows that type of user to use the resources. Even five years ago, getting my MLS at night and working full time, I relied on the remote access of the library to get through my coursework. I guarantee I would still be in school if I didn't have the means to access the library, electronic books or even classwork through the class wikis.

However, I still like person-to-person interaction. I need it, too. That will not go away, I don't think...what I do think is that libraries need to find what it is the online person may show up for. And make sure we keep attracting the people who do visit us in person. It's daunting, and I have plenty of ideas but no answers. I am reassured that people are still checking out books more than other formats. People are tactile.

It looks like we are in danger of information overload. I can see how useful Rss can be in consolidating and delivering information but how much can a person absorb?

Now that I have these comments out of the way, I think libraries could certainly use feeds to keep patrons up to date on events or new materials. But do people really have the time to check all these feeds once a day or several times a week? When I want to check on library events I go to their web site.

I wonder if these feeds are more popular with younger people or those without families and full time work.

I hear librarians say that they don't have time to look at their own library's feed, blogs, etc. I think it is another tool that libraries can use but I worry about electronic overload.

Cynthia