BaRF: Bioinformatics aggregated RSS Feeds

While reviewing Gerry's RSS page to see what's new, I came across this distinctly-named collection of bioinformatics feeds. It looks like they have created "search result" feeds based on PubMed searches for bioinformatics, one for each journal title.

Using the OPML file which they have provided, I have loaded the entire list of feeds into NewzCrawler to see how this is going to work. The BaRF managers will also accept requests for additional journal titles to be included.

RSS Bibliography

Gerry McKiernan has added a "General Bibliography" section to RSS(sm): Rich Site Services. This will include links (15, last time I checked) to articles and presentations on RSS and its applications.

RSS: Less hype, more action

Roddy MacLeod's article on RSS, in the current issue of FreePint, is worth reading. He gives a good overview on RSS, while downplaying the "next big thing" hype surrounding it. His primary focus is on practical applications of RSS, including some of the examples we discussed in the presentation like new book lists and article alerts. He also mentions the RDN hubs in the larger context of subject-customized feeds.

I don't think the problem is that RSS has been over-hyped, but that it has been badly hyped. This is what happens when you have too many "Wow/Gee-Whiz" articles and not enough discussion about the practical applications beyond the reading news sites and blogs. Are people writing about RSS because it's the NBT, or has it become the NBT because everyone is writing about it?

RSS is a critical development in the evolution of user-controlled content and interfaces. We are seeing some exciting applications right now; we will certainly see more in the future; and librarians will be at the forefront of delivering these services to users. Or RSS will be replaced by something else and become obsolete within a few years (I'm hedging my bets).

RSS Feeds: Digital Media Europe

This is another collection mentioned by Steven. Dmeurope.com ("Your daily dosage of European digital media news") offers an impressive number of feeds, feeds by country and topic as well as the standard "latest 10 articles" feed.

RSS Feeds: Government Technology

They have 16 feeds based on their existing channels like GIS, Mobile Government and Privacy. The RSS buttons are at the end of each page.

RSS Feeds Can Build Web Traffic, but Fence Sitters Note Problems

A new article from Online Journalism Review.

My thoughts:

• If news sites continue to delay offering RSS feeds to readers, more users will follow Miller's example and use the available tools to create their own.
  
• As we move beyond this "early adaptor" phase, if news sites continue to delay offering feeds to readers, readers will be less inclined to visit those sites.
  
• There needs to be greater consistency (or a standard) in how and where sites publicize their feeds on their pages. We find it at the end of the page, in the margin, or buried within the site so the only way we do find the feeds is by "word-of-blog." Some sites use some variation of text (RSS, XML, feeds, etc.), while still others use graphics. The lack of consistency creates a hurdle for users.
  
• This confirms what Doug and I suggested would be among the trends in technology over the next ten years: that users would demand and expect greater control of content and how they receive it.
  

RSS and Library Applications: E-Journal Alerts

Gerry McKiernan has wisely created a separate registry for e-journals using Web feeds to publicize new articles:

eFeeds(sm): Web Feeds from Electronic Journals is a categorized registry of electronic journals that offer RSS/XML, Atom, or other Web feeds. Publisher-specific and vendor Web feeds are categorized in a separate category.

At SLA last week, I spoke to IOP and Nature about their feeds (complimentary to IOP, and not so complimentary to Nature). I also talked to other vendor reps to find out if they were going to follow suit, only to find out that other librarians had the same idea. From my own discussions, I got a "What's RSS?" from the RSC rep and a "Maybe" from the ACS rep, and another ACS rep has e-mailed me asking for more information about how I'm using RSS.

RSS and Library Applications

Gerry McKiernan at Iowa State has begun compiling a bibliography of RSS-based library applications:

RSS(sm): Rich Site Services is a registry is a categorized registry of library services that are delivered or provided through RSS/XML feeds. RSS is an initialism for RDF Site Summary / Rich Site Summary / Really Simple Syndication. For each entry, a hotlink is provided, when available, to a RSS (and/or XML) link for the item, or to an information page that provides a subsequent link.

The collection will include library news sites, bibliographic databases, Internet resource guides, and new acquisitions lists. Please contact Gerry if you come across resources that haven't been added to the registry, or if your library has created new RSS applications.

RSS for Search Alerts: my.OAI

Currently, there are only a few bibliographic databases that let you create RSS feeds, including the alternate PubMed platforms HubMed and my.PubMed.

Another one is my.OAI, also from FS Consulting. If you have ever used OAIster, this one works the same way, searching 17 major Open Archive collections (vs. OAIster's 301 collections of varying sizes). And like my.PubMed, each search in my.OAI generates an RSS feed that you can copy and paste into your reader.

RSS. Marketwire.com

Market Wire currently offers 37 feeds, including 24 feeds for industries like financial services, real estate/construction, chemicals and media/entertainment.