1. RSS, Blogs & Resource Discovery HALL Meeting, 11 Jan 2006 Steven C. Perkins, J.D., M.L.L. Coordinator of Reference Services University of Houston Libraries SPerkins@UH.Edu

2. The Evolution of Web Pages  Before there was a World Wide Web there was Dr Ted Nelson and XANADU®, http://xanadu.com/ http://xanadu.com/  The first browser, WorldWideWeb, created editable web pages, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldWideWeb  Later web browsers did not allow you to interactively edit the web pages on the server.  Static web pages ruled the WWW until...

3. The Introduction of the Wiki  In 1995, Ward Cunningham established the first Wiki, at the Portland Pattern Repository, and interactive web page editing was back in the WWW, http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistoryhttp://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory  29 Dec 1997 saw the first use of WebLog on the RobotWisdom website, http://www.robotwisdom.com/log1997m12.html http://www.robotwisdom.com/log1997m12.html  Originally hand-coded, blogs were quickly automated, and are now mostly maintained through a browser-based application

4. What is a Blog?  A Blog is a Web Log, an interactive web page that allows readers to post comments on the items posted to the blog.  See, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog for a detailed explanation.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog  Blogs can be used with RSS feeds to keep your readers notified of important information.  Many organizations use blogs to ensure that everyone receives information in a timely manner.

5. Questions to ask before starting a Blog  What are you using it for? Alerts Updates Discussion Who will manage How many editors Public or Private

6. Types of Blogs  Audio blogs, includes PodCasting, http://www.Audioblog.com/, http://www.Audioblog.com/  http://www.Podshow.com/ http://www.Podshow.com/  Videoblogs, http://www.videoblog.com/http://www.videoblog.com/  Moblogs for mobile phones, http://go.blogger.com/mobile-start.g http://go.blogger.com/mobile-start.g  PhotoBlogs like Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/http://www.flickr.com/  Klogs, Dashlogs, and Linklogs can be used to point users to information sources

7. Blog Directories  Bloglines is a blog aggregator where you can search for blogs on the subject of your choice, http://www.bloglines.com/ http://www.bloglines.com/  Law Professor Blogs links to legal blogs, “blawgs” by law professors, http://www.lawprofessorblogs.com/ http://www.lawprofessorblogs.com/  Library weblogs can be found at http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html

8. Some Law Blogs:  LLRX, http://www.llrx.com/http://www.llrx.com/  Legal Periodicals from W&L, http://bloggery.wlu.edu/lawrevs/ http://bloggery.wlu.edu/lawrevs/  Law Library Technology, http://www.lawlibtech.com/http://www.lawlibtech.com/  BeSpacific, http://www.bespacific.com/http://www.bespacific.com/  Lawrence Lessig, http://www.lessig.org/blog/http://www.lessig.org/blog/  The Becker – Posner Blog, http://www.becker-posner- blog.com/archives/2005/08/the_ten_command.htmlhttp://www.becker-posner- blog.com/archives/2005/08/the_ten_command.html

9. Problems with Blogs  Most blogs are abandoned after being started. LiveJournal has nearly 8 million blogs but only 3 million are actively maintained.  Open blogs can be subjected to comment spam.  Hosting a blog on your own server may be very troublesome.  Using an off-site host can also cause problems.  You could get sued. See, the EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers, http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

10. Problems (cont.):  Legal problems include Intellectual Property, Defamation, Privacy, Employment, http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/ http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/  Legal protection is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode 47/usc_sec_47_00000230----000-.html http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode 47/usc_sec_47_00000230----000-.html  Bloggers reporting the news and those reporting on public records have some protections beyond Sec. 230, http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

11. Who is Using Blogs in AALL?  The AALL Annual Meeting, http://weblog.law.ttu.edu/aallamo/ http://weblog.law.ttu.edu/aallamo/  The CS-SIS, http://cssisblawgs.blogspot.com/http://cssisblawgs.blogspot.com/  Law Libraries, http://cssisblawgs.bloki.com/index.jsp?name=blog s&folderId=93662 http://cssisblawgs.bloki.com/index.jsp?name=blog s&folderId=93662

12. BLOG Resources:  Blogging and RSSing the Librarian Way, http://www.sla.org/Presentations/05Toronto/DITBloggingR SSingtheLibrarianWayTrends.ppt http://www.sla.org/Presentations/05Toronto/DITBloggingR SSingtheLibrarianWayTrends.ppt  All About Blawgs, by Robert Ambrogi, http://www.abll.org/pdf/ambrogi.ppt http://www.abll.org/pdf/ambrogi.ppt  Blog Software Breakdown, http://www.asymptomatic.net/blogbreakdown.htm http://www.asymptomatic.net/blogbreakdown.htm  Blogger Tour, http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.ghttp://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g  Blogging: Reading and Creating Blogs, http://www.law.emory.edu/cms/site/uploads/media/bloggin g_notes.pdf http://www.law.emory.edu/cms/site/uploads/media/bloggin g_notes.pdf

13. Blog Software  Three of the main software tools used for blogging are: Blogger, TypePad, and Movable Type  Blogger is owned by Google, http://www.blogger.com/ http://www.blogger.com/  Six Apart, owns TypePad, MovableType, and LiveJournal, http://www.sixapart.com/http://www.sixapart.com/  Radio UserLand is another widely used blogging tool, http://radio.userland.com/http://radio.userland.com/

14. RSS:  RSS has several meanings  There are different versions of RSS  Most Blogs have the capability of automatically generating RSS feeds

15. Who is Using RSS for Law?  The Federal and State Governments  Law Firms  AALL  Law Schools and Law Libraries  Individual Lawyers and Librarians  Everyone else you know h t t p : / / w w w. a a l l n e t. o r g / s i s / t s s i s / i n d e x. h t m

16. Federal and State governments:  FirstGov: http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Li braries/Podcast_RSS.shtml http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Li braries/Podcast_RSS.shtml  GPO:http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/ind ex.htmlhttp://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/ind ex.html  Utah State Courts, Appellatte Court Opinions, http://www.utcourts.gov/ http://www.utcourts.gov/  Louisiana Supreme Court Opinions, http://www.lasc.org/ http://www.lasc.org/

17. RSS and Law Firms  Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr  Clark Wilson LLP Clark Wilson LLP  Stark & Stark Stark & Stark

18. AALL:  AALL TS-SIS, http://www.aallnet.org/sis/tssis/index.htm http://www.aallnet.org/sis/tssis/index.htm

19. Law Schools and Law Libraries:  Washington & Lee Law Journals Feeds for tocs: http://law.wlu.edu/library/feeds/ http://law.wlu.edu/library/feeds/  RSS at Harvard Law, http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/directory/5 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/directory/5

20. What an RSS feed looks like:  The Channel Title Goes Here The explanation of how the items are related goes here http://www.directoryoflinksgohere  The Title Goes Here The description goes here http://www.linkgoeshere.com  Another Title Goes Here Another description goes here http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com 

21. Creating RSS Feeds:  Code it by hand: write, save, validate, announce  Add it to a Blog page, supported by Blogger, Typepad, etc.

22. Serving an RSS feed:  Use your own RSS server, Slashcode and Slashalikes, http://www.skybuilders.com/Users/Derek/research /slashalikes.html http://www.skybuilders.com/Users/Derek/research /slashalikes.html  Use your Blog, most Blog software supports RSS feeds  Register your feed with a service, Feedburner, www.feedburner.com/, Technorati, http://www.technorati.com/ping/www.feedburner.com/http://www.technorati.com/ping/

23. Validating an RSS Feed:  Userland validator, http://rss.scripting.com/http://rss.scripting.com/  Feed Validator for Atom and RSS Feeds, http://feedvalidator.org/ http://feedvalidator.org/

24. Finding RSS Feeds:  RSS News Feeds for Law, http://www.virtualchase.com/resources/rss_law.ht ml http://www.virtualchase.com/resources/rss_law.ht ml  Bloglines, www.bloglines.com/www.bloglines.com/  Technorati, www.technorati.com/www.technorati.com/  My Yahoo and Google Homepage or Google Reader

25. Reading RSS Feeds:  Some web browsers can read RSS feeds: FireFox, Safari, Opera sage.moxdev.org/sage.moxdev.org/  Live Bookmarks, http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/live-bookmarks http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/live-bookmarks  Use Mozilla Thunderbird email client, www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/ www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/  Many people use separate RSS readers to manage their RSS feeds: FeedReader, and BlogLines http://www.feedreader.com/ http://www.bloglines.com/http://www.feedreader.com/http://www.bloglines.com/  Google Reader reads RSS http://www.google.com/reader/things/intro

26. More RSS Readers:  Jeremy Wagstaff's list, http://loosewire.typepad.com/blog/2004/08/a_direct ory_of_.html http://loosewire.typepad.com/blog/2004/08/a_direct ory_of_.html  Lockergnome list, http://channels.lockergnome.com/rss/resources/arti cles/quickstart.phtml http://channels.lockergnome.com/rss/resources/arti cles/quickstart.phtml

27. RSS Resources:  RSS for Content Publishers and Webmasters, http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/ http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/  RSS Resources from MALL, http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/mall/inet_rss.htm http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/mall/inet_rss.htm  RSS Specifications, everything you need to know about RSS, http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss- specifications.htmhttp://www.rss-specifications.com/rss- specifications.htm

28. Thanks for your attention and time  Steven C. Perkins, JD, MLL  Coordinator of Reference Services  University of Houston M.D. Anderson Library  713-743-9775 SPerkins@UH.Edu