web 2.0: the potential of rss and location based services

A centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

Web 2.0: The Potential Of RSS And Location Based Services

Brian KellyUKOLNUniversity of [email protected]

UKOLN is supported by:

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/edinburgh-2006-09/http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/edinburgh-2006-09/

This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 licence (but note caveat)

Resources bookmarked using 'edinburgh-2006-09' tag

Aims:• Build on recent Scottish-web-

people and JISC meetings• Explore options for enhancing

use of RSS• Advice to JISC & JISC Services • Discuss institutional perspective• Start discussions on simple

location-based services

Aims:• Build on recent Scottish-web-

people and JISC meetings• Explore options for enhancing

use of RSS• Advice to JISC & JISC Services • Discuss institutional perspective• Start discussions on simple

location-based services


www.ukoln.ac.uk

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Contents

This brief talk (14 slides) will cover:

RSS:• News feeds Syndication• Navigation Maximising

impact

Location-Based Services• Google Maps mashups• Location-based metadata (and microformats)

Deployment Challenges• Should we do it?• What are the barriers?• Where to from here?

Generaldiscussion


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RSS

RSS:• Killer lightweight format• Initially used to allow news to be

embedded in others Web sites• Now used for general syndication of

content• Use in Blogs helped in take-up• Lots of ways of using RSS, creating RSS,

RSS tools, etc.

RS

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See An Introduction To RSS And News Feeds QA Focus briefing document no. 78

See An Introduction To RSS And News Feeds QA Focus briefing document no. 78


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S JISC Services RSS Aggregator

JISC Services RSS Aggregator:

• Example of a Web-based RSS reader

• Feeds determined by service provider

http://www.eevl.ac.uk/jiscnews/http://www.eevl.ac.uk/jiscnews/

Desktop alerting RSS tool (Google Desktop)


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S RSS As A Navigational AidRSS feeds for structure of Cultivate Interactive created recently

RSS file for home page (and similar) provides links to each issue

RSS file for an issue provides table of contents for issue

http://www.cultivate-int.org/http://www.cultivate-int.org/

RSS files created in Aug 2006, usingRSSxl (see later)


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SRSS & OPML As A Navigational Aid

OPML provides an import/export function for groups of RSS files

Can also be used for navigation

But I can provide such navigation using my CMS?Yes, but remember that the interface can be embedded on 3rd party Web sites – which your CMS doesn’t manage

Mashups – take the information to thepeople, don’t force them to come to you


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S Searching RSS Space

Technorati provides a searching service for Blog space/RSS space

http://www.technorati.com/search/edinahttp://www.technorati.com/search/edinahttp://www.technorati.com/search/jisc

Thoughts – if you want to be visible in Technorati, you’ll need to create RSS – or encourage others to Blog about you


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S Creating The RSS

Lot’s of ways, but a simple technique for existing resources is to make use of an HTML-RSS converter.

Can process:• ‘Microformats’ e.g.

<span class= “rss:item”>

• Arbitrary text such as <li>No need for a complex CMS!

Some trivial edits allowed the feeds to be tidied up. File saved as static file with persistent URI. Approach v. useful for legacy data (old projects). Not will be even better in IE 7 / FF 2 world.

Some trivial edits allowed the feeds to be tidied up. File saved as static file with persistent URI. Approach v. useful for legacy data (old projects). Not will be even better in IE 7 / FF 2 world.

http://www.wotzwot.com/http://www.wotzwot.com/


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Mapping Services & The Web

Web 2.0 provides valuable opportunity to provide mapping & location services:

• Embedding Google maps on your Web sites

• Developing rich services using this• Providing location metadata /

microformats which can be processed by simple browser tools

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s Google Maps Mashups

Google Map ‘mashup’ used for IWMW 2006 event:

• ~ 20 lines of JavaScript.

• Code taken from Google Maps Web site and coordinates added

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2006/maps/

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2006/maps/http://northumbria.ac.uk/browse/radius5/http://northumbria.ac.uk/browse/radius5/

More sophisticated mapping applications are being developed, such as Radius 5 at Northumbria Univ.


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s Location Metadata (1)Embedded location metadata can now by exploited by various 3rd party tools

How? Install Greasemap script & add:<meta name="geo.position" content="55.944…, -3.187…" /> <meta name="geo.placename" content="Edinburgh University" />

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/edinburgh-2006-09/

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/edinburgh-2006-09/

Note I shouldn’t do this, the organisation should be responsible for its own metadata (I’ve probably got the wrong building!)


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s Location Metadata (2)

Same location metadata can be used by other applications.

http://geourl.org/near?p=http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/edinburgh-2006-09/

http://geourl.org/near?p=http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/meetings/edinburgh-2006-09/

Note also Geo microformats – embed location inline in HTML text, which can be exploited by various tools

Note also Geo microformats – embed location inline in HTML text, which can be exploited by various tools


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Challenges & Opportunities

Challenges:• Accessibility (can be addressed)• Resourcing• Reliability, robustness, quality, trust, etc.• Will users use it? Do they want it?

Opportunities:• Significant benefits at low cost• Being (slightly) at the leading edge• Discussing & sharing best practices, coordination• Software development (EDINA, UK, … scripts, etc)• …

Key points: Much of this stuff can be easy to do, so let’s do it! Remember the benefits of scale (Metcalfe’s Law) that we (developers & our users) gain as more of us do this.

Key points: Much of this stuff can be easy to do, so let’s do it! Remember the benefits of scale (Metcalfe’s Law) that we (developers & our users) gain as more of us do this.

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Discussion

Opportunity for general discussion

Note resources cited in the talk are bookmarked in del.icio.us using tag '‘edinburgh-2006-09"Also note that briefing documents on various Web 2.0 issues (and other areas) are available on QA Focus Web site

Note resources cited in the talk are bookmarked in del.icio.us using tag '‘edinburgh-2006-09"Also note that briefing documents on various Web 2.0 issues (and other areas) are available on QA Focus Web site

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web 2.0: the potential of rss and location based services

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