Getting news through RSS feeds

Joëlle Sciboz / Shadrack VensonAssociate Reference Librarian

212-963-7412

Objectives

• In this training you will learn:– How to discover RSS– How to organize your RSS feeds using your browser or

web services such as Google Reader– Where to get UN related RSS– How to create RSS for your search in ODS

What are RSS ?

• http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

• RSS is a format used to publish frequently updated piece of information :– blogs;– news headlines ;– podcasts ;– databases update ;– etc.

How to discover RSS feeds ?

• Most of news websites have RSS feeds:– Look for the following icons on your favourite websites

– Exemples :• Financial Times

http://www.ft.com/home/uk • UN Press releases

http://www.un.org/en/unpress/index.asp

How to discover RSS feeds ?

• Browsers also detect most of RSS feeds

Internet Explorer 7 or 8

Firefox 4

Subscribing and reading RSS

• To subscribe to RSS you need to choose an application or a service :– Browsers :

• Live Bookmarks

• RSS add-ons

• RSS will be stored on your computer, you will not be able to access them remotely.

– Online services ;• Google Reader ;

• Bloglines ;

• My Yahoo ;

• RSS will be accessible wherever you have an Internet Connection.

– Mobile devices or desktop applications

Subscribing and Reading RSS in Internet Explorer

Subscribing and Reading RSS in Firefox

Subscribing in RSS in Chrome

• Install the extension– https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/

nlbjncdgjeocebhnmkbbbdekmmmcbfjd – The RSS Icon will appear in your navigation bar

Subscribing and Reading RSS in Google Reader

Exercises

• Search and subscribe to the following RSS :– New York Times World News– UN Women– UN Pulse– The Guardian World News

• Organize them in 2 different files:– News– UN

UN RSS feeds

• E-Subscription– http://undocs.org/

• Meetings coverage and Press Releases– http://www.un.org/en/unpress/rss_pr_en.asp

• UN News Center– http://www.un.org/apps/news/rss/index.asp

• UN Pulse– http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf/blog.rss

Search results

• Search engines and databases often allow to save your search as RSS– News website

• Google News http://news.google.com/

• Wikiohttp://www.wikio.com

• Worldnews– List of RSS http://wn.com/rss

– Subscribed databases• Factiva• Proquest

Google News

• Coverage– Traditional sources of information;– Blogs;

• To have more traditional magazines and newspapers, click on Top stories

• Example :– Search for news on Libya and Security Council

Wikio

• European website available in several languages:– Traditional sources of information;– Blogs.

• Example :– Search news on United Nations report on Iran

Practice

• Using the tools we have seen, add RSS feeds in your reader on any topic.– Organize them in files.

Save your ODS search in RSS

• By using the new ODS interface, you will be able to save searches and to be alerted whenever a new document matching it come out.– Documents mentioning piracy and somalia

– Security Council resolutions on Afghanistan

– Note transmitting the report of the United Nations Board of Auditors on the United Nations escrow accounts.

• The new ODS interface is still on development. If you need advice to build your search, contact us : unreference@un.org

Exercises

• Using the new ODS interface, try to find a way to get RSS feeds for :– Documents on piracy in Somalia– Documents that mention the Department of Public

Information– General Assembly resolutions on budget.

Links

• RSS in plain English– http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

• RSS feeds for UN Community– https://www.google.com/bookmarks/l#!threadID=G0AGuc_laEgI%2FBDRa4ZQoQwJ7gm_cl

• Training calendar and evaluation– http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/training/training.htm

Thank you !