Sukhdev Singh[Based on my lectures on Retrieving Biomedical Information]

Surviving the Web Explosion:

Keeping in touch with RSS

What is the size of the Web?

Is this• EXPLOSION ?• INFORMATION OVERLOAD?• PROBLEM OF PLENTY?

Ok Forget it.

The estimates vary from 15 to some 30 billion Web pages.

How to survive this EXPLOSION and Keep in Touch with current information in you area?

Two Ways

Blogs

News

Journals

Databases

Old Way:

You go and find it.

Blogs

News

Journals

Databases

New Way:

Let them come to you.

RSS is the way – New and Fast

• RSS (which, in its most recent format, stands for "Really Simple Syndication")

• Some expand it as - Rich Site Summary

Easily stay informed by subscribing the latest content from the sites you are interested in.

You save time by not visiting each site individually.

Your privacy is maintained unlike subscribing to each site's email newsletter

What is Required for the NEW FAST way?

• A PLACE to mix the new content of your interest. – RSS READER

• The INGREDIENTS– RSS Feeds

RSS READERs

• Desktop Softwares• http://www.download.com/RSS-Tools/3150-9227-0.

html

• Online Services• http://reader.google.com• http://my.yahoo.com• http://bloglines.com

http://www.bloglines.com/

RSS Feeds

• Blogs – Most are RSS Enabled

• News sites - Check for buttons

• Databases – • Execute your search query

• Create RSS Feed

Connecting READER with FEEDS

• Clicking on RSS Button will reveal the URL of the RSS Feed

• Copy the URL

• Paste the URL in your READER while subscribing to the FEED.

OK, we will take an example

Say for Example

• I am interested in News – Let me know what current News are reported by in NDTV.COM

• I read blogs, so let me know what is latest on Peter Suber’s Blog.

• I want to know what all news articles has been deposited in my favorite repository - http://openmed.nic.in

• What all new articles have been indexed in PubMed on the topic “Medical Informatics in India”?

Ok, we will use Google Reader as our RSS Reader

LoginLogin

Look for Add Subscription

Look for Add Subscription

Click on Add Subscription

Click on Add Subscription

Click on RSS button and Get URL of

your RSS Feed for News

Click on RSS button and Get URL of

your RSS Feed for News

Just Look URL. COPY it with

Ctrl + C

Just Look URL. COPY it with

Ctrl + C

Paste the URL Here

Ctrl+V

Paste the URL Here

Ctrl+V

Wow, Your News are

Here

Wow, Your News are

Here

Now let us add a feed from Blog

now.

Now let us add a feed from Blog

now.

Repeat steps for Adding

Subscription

Repeat steps for Adding

Subscription

Wow, Blog feed is here

Wow, Blog feed is here

Now for Repository.

Look for RSS Button.

Now for Repository.

Look for RSS Button.

Look for URL Above and Copy it.

Look for URL Above and Copy it.

Add Subscription

Add Subscription

And you know it has been done!

And you know it has been done!

Now let us create a feed

from PubMED

Now let us create a feed

from PubMED

Enter your Query as you do normally.

Enter your Query as you do normally.

In Display Menu - Click on Drop Down Option

for RSS

In Display Menu - Click on Drop Down Option

for RSS

Click on Create FeedClick on Create Feed

Look for Small Orange Icon – and Click it.

Look for Small Orange Icon – and Click it.

Copy the URL of the Feed.

Copy the URL of the Feed.

Add Subscription

Add Subscription

And no surprise, It is

Done

And no surprise, It is

Done

You can Manage yours RSS Subscriptions

You can Manage yours RSS Subscriptions

See them all at one place. No need to go for each

site.

See them all at one place. No need to go for each

site.

You can even Export or Import your

subscriptions to / from Other Readers

You can even Export or Import your

subscriptions to / from Other Readers

Want to tell the World?

• MASHUP– Special Sites that allow quick building of

content by RSS feeds– You can build a site that have content of

interest of a particular domain.– Share with everybody by telling its URL

An Example

Thanks