Syndicated RSS Feeds for Course Information Distribution

Abstract

Introduction to RSS While concept for RSS emerged in 1997 with release of channels in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 browser, first version of RDF Site Summary (RSS) emerged in 1999. It is also identified by several other names including Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary, Real-time Simple Syndication, and others. While it has suffered from the name game, like many XML-based technologies, it has been comparatively slow to grab a practical foothold on Web. Although many news and advertising sites are now using RSS for real-time distribution, base of consumers receiving RSS feeds remains primarily early adopters. A 2005 Yahoo white paper, RSS-Crossing into Mainstream, described a study conducted by Ipsos Insight with over 4,000 participants. The study concluded that even though 12% of users are aware of RSS, only 4% actually use it (Grossnickle, Board, Pickens, & Bellmont, 2005). However, generation who grew up on computer technology is now quickly adding to base of people receiving RSS feeds. In fact, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project (2005), 12% of Internet users in United States aged 18 to 29 already have a working knowledge of what term RSS means. Additionally Ipsos Insight study found that 27% of participants consume RSS syndicated pages without knowing what RSS is (Grossnickle et al., 2005). This could help explain sudden growth in number of RSS feeds across web. According to BusinessWeek Online (RSS keeps booming, 2005), number of RSS feeds grew from 307,000 in January of 2004 to over 13 million in August of 2005. This is more than 20 times number of new feeds emerging during same period. A SlashDot survey (Hrastnik, 2005) predicted that RSS would continue to grow dramatically in coming years. Today, RSS is very nearly ubiquitous on Web. As an Internet technology, RSS is most widely used for instant organization and distribution of a wide variety of information that is available on World Wide Web (WWW). Asmus, Bonner, Esterhay, Lechner, and Rentfrow (2005) comment that due to simple and easy-to-use interface, RSS has become an essential web publishing vehicle. RSS works by allowing content distributors to syndicate brief snippets of content and post it as a RSS (XML) file on Web. Most RSS files include a title, brief description, and a link where user can follow-up to retrieve full-story. Those who wish to receive RSS content use special applications called RSS aggregators to to RSS feeds. Once subscribed to a feed, consumer is immediately notified in some manner when a new item is added to a RSS feed by its publisher. In this way, RSS feeds provide an active information mechanism on Web whereby consumers can know immediately of distributors' information, rather than having to constantly return to a web site for recently released information. There are a variety of standalone RSS aggregators, and some browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer 7, include RSS functions within them. It should also be noted that RSS consumption is not limited to desktop applications alone--PDAs, cell phones, and other wireless devices can be set up to receive RSS feeds. Its ability to deliver short news messages in text-only format makes it most efficient content delivery method for small screen devices (Joly, 2006). While original goals of RSS may be loftier, de facto use for RSS feeds has become a mechanism for creating content summaries of web sites to which users subscribe and receive notification. Passivity is biggest limitation of web sites--users must access site to see what is new. RSS, one of many technologies that provide an active method for attracting traffic and individual consumer attention, is gaining popularity for this specific purpose. …