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RSS news feeds are specially formatted text files that can be downloaded and displayed by programs called news aggregators or feed readers. Keep your members / volunteers / donors up to date with this exciting, evolving technology.
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RSS is a standardized format for distributing news and information. The RSS feed, a specially formatted text file, can keep your organization’s members up to date about your latest initiatives, fund-raising campaigns, and volunteer opportunities. You can also submit your feed to RSS syndicators so that people interested in your cause can find out about you and your mission. With a little effort, RSS can help to expand the reach of your organization.
This is how it works: you create the RSS file, post it on your website, and keep it up to date with all the latest. Then you tell your members / volunteers / donors about it and link to it from your front page. These members / volunteers / donors can download a small program called a news aggregator, which will check your feed (along with any other feeds they might be interested in) for updates. When you post a new item to your feed, anyone monitoring it will get a message that something new is available on your site, along with a short description.
RSS is an XML standard. For a good introduction to the fundamentals of XML, check out the TechSoup article "What is XML?". XML, like HTML, is a markup language that uses tags (like <table> and <i>) to classify elements of a document. But unlike HTML, XML (or eXtensible Markup Language) is designed to allow users to create new tags and new types of documents. RSS is an extension of XML that defines a particular set of tags to describe a news feed.
Along with this extensibility, the purpose of XML is to allow different people running different programs to exchange data. Because every XML document is written in plain text, instead of some proprietary / encrypted format, anyone (or anything) can read and understand its content. This is particularly useful for RSS, because it allows your news feed to be read and understood by hundreds of different programs (like news aggregators) and websites.
Every XML document is made up of elements. An element might contain text, or it might be made up of other elements (its children), but all elements follow the same format: <element name>content</element name>. Look familiar? That’s because HTML uses a syntax very similar to that of XML.
Everything (just about) in an HTML document is included within the root element, denoted by the <html> tag. In an RSS document, all elements are children of the <rss> element. For a full listing of the elements that can be included in an RSS document, check out the RSS 2.0 Specification, now maintained by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.
Before delving into the specifics of each element and its meaning, here is a sample RSS feed, with one article:
| <?xml version="1.0" ?> <rss version="2.0"> <channel> <title>TechFoundation News Feed</title> <title>Introduction to Cascading Stylesheets</title> </item> </channel> </rss> |
The children of the <rss> element contain information about the news source, like the language, the name of the editor, etc., as well as the articles themselves. The news source is referred to as a channel, while each article is called an item. Every channel must include one of each of the following elements: <title>, <link>, and <description>. Without these, it is not a valid channel and will not be displayed correctly. There are also many optional elements that can provide subscribers with more information about the type of news they can expect and who is responsible for the content. Check the RSS 2.0 Specification for more information.
There are no required elements for an <item> element, but each one has to have either a <title> or a <description>. And unless the description contains the all the information you wish to share, a <link> is also probably a good idea.
Above, you have the skeleton of an RSS news feed, which is both easy to create and easy to maintain. Once you define your channel, all you have to do is add and subtract <item> elements as new developments arise. To make your feed accessible to your members, simply place it on your web server with a name like RSS.xml and link to it from your front page. Many pages notify browsers about their RSS feed with an icon on the front page, which is linked directly to their RSS file. For an example, check out the NTEN homepage. To properly display these news feeds, you will need a program called a news aggregator or a feed reader.
Because every RSS feed has the same format, it is relatively easy to write a program that brings together feeds from a number of different sources, informs users when the feeds are updated, and can attractively display the news as it arrives. There are many programs, called news aggregators or feed readers, that perform these functions. For a good listing of news aggregators available for a variety of operating systems, visit the RSS Feed Reader/News Aggregator Directory. Once you download one of these programs, you will be able to subscribe to your own feed (and any others that interest you) just be entering its URL.
An RSS news feed is a great way to keep people up to date about the daily / weekly / monthly doings of your organization. You can run it like a weblog (or blog), frequently adding short items about everything that’s going on, or you can use it to inform people about major developments like fundraising events, new initiatives, etc.
If actively maintained, your RSS feed can strengthen your relationships with members, donors, volunteers, and individuals / organizations that share your values. The blogging community already uses RSS widely to keep track of friends and family across the world. Plus, RSS is incredibly easy to keep current and requires no new graphic design or changes to your website.
RSS is the future of news and information exchange. It’s time to start posting.
RSS 2.0 Specification
The RSS 2.0 Specification in all its grandeur. This page, written by the creator of RSS, Dave Winer, provides an in depth explanation of all RSS elements, optional and required. It’s informative, but not overly technical.
RSS Feed Reader / News Aggregator Directory
This page lists a number of news aggregators for nearly every operating system imaginable. Note that if you want to use the readers listed under "Windows, .NET Runtime Required," you must have the latest .NET Runtime package, which is available through Windows Update.
Syndic8
Register your feed here to make it searchable by the feed community.
NPOBlogs
An interesting aggregation of blogs from a number of different nonprofit organizations.
Education Weblogs
An education-oriented weblog, with links to several other like-minded sites. Also check Weblog Strategies for Nonprofits, an interesting article about using weblogs and RSS news feeds to make a difference.
"I have full confidence that TechFoundation will be the driver for revolutionizing the way nonprofits operate,"
Leslie H. Gelb, President Council on Foreign Relations (Retired)
Norman Eng
placement at the Media & Technology Charter High School (MATCH)
Norman helped teach a web elective class and assists with technical requests at MATCH. He holds a degree in business communications and computer science from Bentley College. Internships at IBM/Lotus in Cambridge and Bentley College Web Services department inspired him to work with computers.