RSS

What is it?

Not many people know about RSS, but it's one of the most useful tools we'll learn about. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” Basically, an RSS reader will watch blogs or websites for you, and then tell you when they are updated. These updates are called “feeds.”  All of the updates / feeds are brought back to a single website for you to read. This saves you time because you don’t have to check lots of websites every day – you can just check your RSS reader.

You can use RSS readers to get feeds about news, weather, jokes, comics, information on hobbies, book reviews, etc.

1) Bloglines is a popular RSS reader. Check out the website at http://www.bloglines.com, and learn a little about the service.
 
2) Sign up for a Bloglines account. The easiest way to learn about RSS is by using it!  Bloglines will suggest some popular feeds that you may want to follow – choose one or two. Try reading one of them through your Bloglines account.

Now go to a website or blog that you regularly visit. Look for a link that says “RSS,” or the orange RSS icon (see image on right).
 
Here are some examples of sites with RSS feeds:

- CBC Calgary: http://www.cbc.ca/calgary (scroll down - small orange link is in a horizontal line near the middle of the page)
- Mashable: http://mashable.com/ (link in box on right side of page)
 
To add a feed to Bloglines, you can do one of two things. First, you can click on the link or icon, and add the site to your RSS feeds in Bloglines. When you are signed in, you should automatically get a box that says “Subscribe to this feed using Bloglines.” 

BUT the second way is probably easier, especially on work terminals!

Second way: Go to your Bloglines page. There is a link above your feeds, that says “Add.” This will give you a box where you can type the URL (address) of your website. Hit “subscribe,” and Bloglines will automatically check for feeds on that site.

3) In your blog, comment on the following:

•    Were you able to successfully set up your RSS feed? If not, where did you run into problems? If you were successful, does this make information-gathering more convenient for you?

Google Universe

What is it?
 
Everyone knows about Google’s search engine. But did you know that Google has a ton of other products?  Go to the Google site and click on “more” at the top. If you click “even more,” you’ll get a full list of Google products.
 
Google's products are so much fun! There are specialized search engines (like Scholar), an email service (Gmail), a program that lets you edit and share photos (Picasa), and an internet browser (Google Chrome). 
 
You may have used Google Maps, but have you tried Google Earth? Google Earth lets you zoom in and examine virtually any place in the world, sometimes seeing landmarks in incredible detail. You can also view oceans (including shipwrecks) or Mars, and take a guided tour of the moon!

1) Go to the list of all the Google products (go to google.ca, then click “more” at the top, and “even more” in the drop-down list).  Choose one or two products that interest you, and click on them to find out more.  Try clicking on “labs” to see what Google is working on right now.  Some of these labs will become products and others won’t.
 
2) Try out one of the Google programs or services, and write a brief blog post reviewing it.

3) In your blog, comment on the following:
 
•    What do you like about the Google product?  What do you dislike?  Would you recommend the product to friends and colleagues?

Social Networking

What is it?


Social networking sites allow users to connect with friends online. The most popular sites are Facebook and MySpace.

On these sites, users create a profile with personal information and a picture. Privacy settings can be used to protect this information. Users then add each other to their “friends list.”

On MySpace, once you are someone’s friend, you are notified when they update their blog. On Facebook, you are notified when your friends update their status (what they are doing or feeling), when your friends write on your “wall” (message board), and when your friends invite you to play games or take quizzes within Facebook. On both sites, you can share pictures, video, links, and music with your friends.

Step 1

Go to the Facebook website (http://www.facebook.com) and click the “About” link at the bottom of the page. This will take you to Facebook’s profile for themselves. This gives you an idea of what a profile looks like. Note the wall (message board area) and the “Info” and “Photo” tabs at the top.

Step 2

Sign up for a Facebook account. Add as much or as little information as you like, and adjust your privacy level (go to “Account” and then “Privacy Settings”). Become a fan of CPL on Facebook: search for “Calgary Public Library” in the search box at the top. Click on “Become a Fan” at the top of the page. Comment on one of the notes or photos, or write something on the wall!

In your blog, comment on ONE of the following:

• Why do you think social networking sites are so popular? What are the main appeal factors?

OR

• For you, is Facebook useful or a time-waster?

Please note that for those of you that already have an existing Facebook account, please feel free to use that account.

~Heather & Katie

Wikipedia

What is it?


A wiki is a website that’s developed collaboratively by a group of users. It can be edited by anyone.  The most well-known wiki is Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org). Wikipedia is the most comprehensive encyclopedia in the world with over 13 million articles on every conceivable topic. It’s currently the most popular reference site on the Internet.


Step 1


Explore Wikipedia to get a feel for the site. Click on the language of your choice. Click on “About Wikipedia” (in the column on the left, under "interaction"). Read a little about it.

Try looking up a few topics to get an idea of the scope of Wikipedia. This is a great resource for learning about pop culture, and for very recent updates. However, it is not very reliable because anyone can edit the articles.

Step 2

Find a Wikipedia article in an area where you have a strong interest or expertise. It can be an article on anything – your branch of CPL, your favourite author or movie, gardening, etc. Read the article and edit a section that you feel is poorly written or factually incorrect. Your editing doesn’t have to be extensive - you can change facts, grammar, anything at all.

You may want to create an account to edit in Wikipedia, but you don't have to. You can edit articles without an account.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even write your own article on a topic that Wikipedia doesn’t yet cover!

Step 3


In your blog, comment on ONE of the following:

• How easy or difficult was it to find articles that needed editing? Were the errors you found factual or grammar / spelling?

OR

• Were you able to find a topic obscure enough that Wikipedia doesn’t cover it? If so, congratulations! If you managed to publish an article, comment on the process.

Note:


Katie is out of town this week. If you have questions for us, please email Heather at heather.keeling@calgarypubliclibrary.com.

Have fun!