RSS and Podcasting: More than just news
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EmailNot getting enough news, or at least not getting the news you want when you want it? New technologies like RSS and podcasting allow you to not only tap into the nearly endless streams of information on the web, but also to have it brought to you however you choose. Both of these technologies are relatively new, but they are maturing fast and will help you to be significantly more productive, if you adopt them.
The advantage of technologies like RSS and podcasting is that you do not have to go to multiple sites chasing the content you want; It comes to you. I will start by introducing RSS and podcasting and then demonstrate how to use iGoogle to actively use RSS feeds. As a corollary to this article, next month we will cover how to use these techniques to better reach your constituents.
RSS
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Web developers use RSS to share their updated content without requiring users to return to their site. RSS creates a concise summary for readers to quickly decide whether to keep reading or not. This works much like standard news sites, but now you have more control over the content you receive and the ability to get many sources of content on the same screen.
The application for viewing and collecting RSS feeds is often called an aggregator or news reader. There are RSS applications that can run on the web and also those that you need to install on your local computer. Many email applications (e.g. Microsoft Outlook 2007) and Internet browsers (e.g FireFox) are adding RSS compatibility to their applications. News on Feeds offers a very extensive list of RSS readers that run online and Agg Compare offers a list of desktop based readers. Later in the article, I will show you how to use iGoogle (my preferred RSS aggregator).
Finding RSS content on the Internet is becoming easier as browsers like Internet Explorer and FireFox do more to integrate the protocol and as RSS becomes more pervasive. Many sites will have an orange RSS button
indicating that they have available RSS feeds. The official symbol for RSS looks like this
.
There are also many directories online that offer lists of available RSS feeds:
- RSS Feeds Directory
- RSSFeeds.com - This site is in Beta form, but it looks very good.
- Yahoo Feeds
RSS feed are becoming as popular as email updates and other forms of information broadcasting. This is true in the private sector as well as in the nonprofit sector. Teaming For Technology offers an RSS feed (http://www.t4tcolorado.org/rss.xml) of updated content from their website. Other nonprofit related RSS feeds include the following:
Most major news outfits like the Denver Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and The Onion have at least one RSS feed.
Podcasts
Podcasting refers to audio and now sometimes video broadcasts made over the Internet and designed to provide downloadable content on demand. Creating a podcast is not horribly expensive, so, as with blogging, there has been an explosion of online podcasted content.
Podcasts are not just for iPods! iPods happen to have a clear native method for listening or viewing Podcasts, but they are not the only way to use this technology. Many RSS readers can listen to or view content provided in a podcast. Podcasting News offers a list of RSS clients that support podcasting.
Podcast Directories
There is a lot of great content for nonprofits that is podcasted. 501c3Cast and NetSquared (part of Tech Soup) are two great examples.
If you are like me and spend lots of time in your car going from site to site, you will find podcasting and the ability to download these feeds to an MP3 player to be phenomenally useful. If you are very lucky, you have an auxiliary jack on your car so that you can listen to your Podcasts through your stereo without dealing with the issues of FM transmitters.
Using iGoogle
Last month I wrote about iGoogle (formally known as Google Desktop), and I mentioned its ability to collect RSS feeds. This is the application I use for most of my RSS feeds, because I can collect my RSS data from any computer in the world with an Internet connection.
To demonstrate the use of iGoogle, I will subscribe to the T4T RSS feed. I use Firefox as my Internet browser, not only because it is more secure then Internet Explorer but because it is also handles RSS subscription better then Internet Explorer 6.
To subscribe, go to the T4T Webpage and then click on the RSS icon.
You will be taken to a page that allows you to choose the RSS feeder that you would like to use.
Once you press the subscribe button, you are taken into your RSS reader's interface. In the case of Google, you are given the choice between iGoogle and the Google Reader application. For this example, we will choose iGoogle. Once this is done, you will be sent to your iGoogle home page (if you have one set up), and the feed will show up for you to move.
Your RSS feeds will update when the organization providing the feed updates their content.
iTunes
I use iTunes for my podcasting because it is very easy to use, it syncs with my iPod, and the iTunes directory has a very easy to use intuitive interface for finding almost every known podcast.
To add the 501(c)3 cast from within iTunes, go to the Podcast section of iTunes.
You will then click on the Podcast directory icon in the lower right hand corner.
You will be taken to the iTunes Store, but most podcasts are FREE. In the search box in the upper right hand corner of the screen, type your search term. Since I know the name of podcast I am looking for, I can use its name, but you could also search for nonprofits or philanthropy.
You will be taken to a list of Podcasts that match your search results. You can then click on the displayed podcasts to find out more information about them. You will be able to see a list of past Podcasts still available and also a button to subscribe. Once you subscribe, the get button lets you add archived casts to your library.
When you open iTunes, your Podcasts library will be updated automatically. The 47 next to the Podcasts icon in the picture above shows how many Podcasts have not been listened to yet.
Conclusion
RSS and podcasting can be very valuable tools for saving you time, because you avoid the distraction of having to go to countless websites to find the content you want. With these technologies, you have your content delivered to you for simple browsing and review. Some applications make this process more efficient than others, but it is up to the user to figure out what works for them.
Steve Kessler is the owner and operator of Denver DataMan, a Denver, Colorado consulting firm. He is also a teacher for the Colorado nonprofit KidsTek.
How to Subscribe to Podcasts
Great post!
I am new to podcasting and I just wanted some quick and simple steps to learn how to subscribe to a podcast. Thanks for this info.
I also found this really convenient, easy-to-read article on how to subscribe to a podcast using these tools (iTunes and iGoogle) but it also includes Microsoft Outlook 2007.
Source: http://info.dailysplice.com/blog/
This website has a lot of other valuable information for new poddies, as well!
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How to Subscribe to Podcasts
Simple steps for downloading podcasts using iTunes, Micrsoft Outlook 2007, and iGoogle.
How to subscribe to podcasts using iTunes.
In my opinion, iTunes is one of the best overall podcast subscription tools out there. It lets you find, manage and organize your podcasts very easily.
1) On the left side of you iTunes program under Library, click Podcasts.
If you are new to podcasting you will have nothing in your playlist. No worries, you can add a podcast in no time!
2) Click Podcast Directory on the bottom right of your iTunes window.
This takes you to iTunes neatly organized and easy-to-use directory full of free podcasts. Look around, you can find a podcast on just about any subject.
Find a podcast that interest you and click it. For example “CarCast” by Adam Corrolla.
Browse the subscription page for descriptions, reviews and a list of prior episodes from this podcast.
3) To subscribe, simply click Subscribe at the top of your screen.
This tells iTunes that you want to download this podcast, and that every time the author releases a new episode to download it automatically into your iTunes Podcast playlist.
4) Click Podcasts under the Library heading again and it takes you back to your playlist where you should see your new podcast!
Keep in mind that only the most recent episode of this podcast has been downloaded. If you want to get prior episodes click on triangle to the left of the podcast title. This drops down a list of prior episodes from the same author. Click “Get Now” to download these episodes individually.
IF THE iTUNES LIBRARY DOES NOT HAVE THE PODCAST YOU ARE LOOKING FOR…
5) If the iTune library does not have a podcast, but you are sure that it exists, you can download it into iTunes directly from the source. Click the Advanced tab in your iTunes program and then click Subscribe to Podcast.
6) Simply insert the RSS Feed URL of the podcast you wish to subscribe to and it will find the podcast on the internet and download it into your playlist.
RSS Feeds for podcasting are generally easily to find as they can be located on any website that delivers a podcast.
RSS feeds typically looks something like:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/podcasts/brainstuff.rss
This is for the howstuffworks podcast.
The “settings’ button at the bottom of the screen is also a very helpful tool. It allows you to choose how often new podcasts are updated, how many episodes to download when a new one becomes available, and how many old episodes to keep in your system so it doesn’t become full of wasteful podcasts.
How to subscribe to podcasts using OutLook.
Podcast subscription is a little less flexible using outlook 2007, but it is very simple and has its advantages.
1) Click “RSS Feeds” under Mail Folders pane. Outlook gives a wide variety of RSS feeds to choose from. Most of these are articles, but the process is the same for podcasts.
2) Simply click one RSS Feed that interests you, like Forbes Magazine for example.
3) An RSS Feed Options dialog box appears that asks you if you want to “Add This RSS Feed to Outlook?” Before you click “Yes,” click the advanced options button. This will give you some options for naming the podcast, storage location, and automatically downloading enclosures for the RSS Feed.
Enclosures are attachments that come as a part of each RSS Feed. Downloading all enclosures automatically may take up a lot of space in your system. It may be better to individually download enclosures once the RSS Feeds are in your Outlook.
All RSS feeds will also appear in your unread mail as well.
If you cannot find the RSS Feed you are looking for the RSS Feeds page in Outlook, search iTunes or other internet sites. RSS Feeds for podcasting are generally easily to find as they can be located on any website that delivers a podcast.
See above for an example of what an RSS Feed looks like.
4) Click Account Settings from the Tools tab, and then click the RSS Feeds Tab in dialog box.
5) Click New and simply copy and paste the RSS Feed into the dialog box. Click Add.
The RSS Feed Options dialog box appears again and allows you to customize your settings before Outlook subscribes to your podcast. Again I do not recommend checking the “Automatically download enclosures” option.
Just like adding RSS Feeds from the library available in your Outlook, this will result in an automatic download of all episodes in your podcast under RSS Feeds and Unread Mail.
To delete subscriptions but keep all current episodes go back to RSS Feeds in Account Settings and simply click remove to remove any subscription.
Or to delete all episodes AND cancel the subscription simply right click on the podcast’s name under RSS Feeds in the Mail Folders and click delete.
How to subscribe to podcasts using iGoogle.
iGoogle does not have a library of RSS feeds or podcasts like Outlook 2007 and iTunes. However, it is a great tool that allows you to bring all of your internet favorites into one home page customized for your own use.
1) From you iGoogle home page click Add stuff which is on the very right of your screen.
2) Google will display a page with a variety of gadgets you can subscribe to.
You may not find the podcast you want here, but there are some neat gadgets that will make your iGoogle homepage a lot more customized and convenient, so have a look around!
3) On the bottom left of your Add Stuff page you will see “Add feed or gadget,” click this link.
4) A URL box will appear, simply copy and paste the RSS Feed URL into this box and click Add. Your new subscription should appear when you return to your iGoogle home page.
RSS Feeds for podcasting are generally easily to find as they can be located on any website that delivers a podcast.
See above for an example of what an RSS Feed looks like.
5)Now simply click on an episode you want on your home page and iGoogle will automatically open the corresponding audio/video for that podcast.
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