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Content Syndication with RSS

By Ben Hammersley
First Edition March 2003
Pages: 222
ISBN 10: 0-596-00383-8 | ISBN 13: 9780596003838
(Average of 1 Customer Reviews)

This book is OUT OF PRINT, but is available on Safari Books Online.

Book description

Originally developed by Netscape in 1999, RSS (which can stand for RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format that allows web developers to describe and syndicate web site content. Content Syndication with RSS offers webloggers, developers, and the programmers who support them a thorough explanation of syndication in general and RSS in particular. Written for web developers who want to offer XML-based feeds of their content, as well as developers who want to use the content that other people are syndicating, the book explores and explains metadata interpretation, different forms of content syndication, and the increasing use of web services in this field. If you're interested in producing your own RSS feed, this step-by-step guide to implementation is the book you'll want in hand.
Full Description

RSS is sprouting all over the Web, connecting weblogs and providing news feeds. Originally developed by Netscape in 1999, RSS (which can stand for RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format that allows web developers to describe and syndicate web site content. Using RSS files allows developers to create a data feed that supplies headlines, links, and article summaries from a web site. Other sites can then incorporate them into their pages automatically. Although RSS is in widespread use, people struggle with its confusing and sometimes conflicting documentation and versions. Content Syndication with RSS is the first book to provide a comprehensive reference to the specifications and the tools that make syndication possible. Content Syndication with RSS offers webloggers, developers, and the programmers who support them a thorough explanation of syndication in general and RSS in particular. Written for web developers who want to offer XML-based feeds of their content, as well as developers who want to use the content that other people are syndicating, the book explores and explains metadata interpretation, different forms of content syndication, and the increasing use of web services in this field. This concise volume begins with an introduction to content syndication on the Internet: its purpose, limitations, and traditions, and answers the question of why would you consider "giving your content away" like this? Next, the book delves into the architecture of content syndication with an overview of the entire system, from content author to end user on another site. You'll follow the flow of data: content, referral data, publish-and-subscribe calls, with a detailed look at the protocols and standards possible at each step. Topics covered in the book include:

Creating XML syndication feeds with RSS 0.9x and 2.0
Beyond headlines: creating richer feeds with RSS 1.0 and RDF metadata
Using feeds to enrich a site or find information
Publish and subscribe: intelligent updating
News aggregators, such as Meerkat, Syndic8, and Newsisfree, and their web services
Alternative industry-centric standards

If you're interested in producing your own RSS feed, this step-by-step guide to implementation is the book you'll want in hand.

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Cover | Table of Contents | Colophon

Featured customer reviews

Content Syndication with RSS Review, July 07 2003

Rating:

Submitted by Matteo Giacomazzi [Respond | View]

Content syndication could be not easy for beginners: different dialects, complex RDF format, so many tools and so many mistake could be made while creating a feed.

This book is the response to many of those problems: it clearly explains the differences between various RSS dialects (0.91, 0.92, 1.0 and 2.0), their history, where you can find interesting feeds, how you can contribute to the quality of feed and so on.

The book even gently introduce the reader to some complex concepts as XML (if someone has never seen it, it could be confusing) and RDF (well, this one could be confusing even if you're used to!).

If you, or your company, are planning to publish your news, catalogues, services or whatever else, consider to use RSS as tool and consider to use this book as reference.

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Media reviews

"This publication is aimed at web developers and web site authors who want to share their site with others by offering RSS-based feeds of their content. It's also for developers who want to use the content that other people are syndicating. As usual with O'Reilly publications, the presentation is impeccable."
-- Roy Johnson, MANTEX Information Design

"This book provides an in-depth look at the architecture and specifications, Web aggregators, and desktop readers, as well as the mechanics of using feeds and developing new modules. While you can manage to tap a feed without this book, you'll definitely find it useful in terms of understanding what is really going on."
--John Joyce, "Scientific Computing & Instrumentation," June 2004
http://www.scimag.com/scripts/ShowPR.asp?PUBCODE=030&ACCT=3000000100&ISSUE=0405&RELTYPE=PR&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=P

"Mr. Hammersley has a gift for explaining new concepts clearly...'Content Syndication with RSS' is the only game in town. I know of no other readily available book that's dedicated solely to the details of RSS. Mr. Hammersley's day job as a professional journalist helps him present the essentials of RSS lucidly and with a minimum of fuss. Highly recommended."
--Marc A. Garrett, since1968.com, July 02, 2003
http://www.since1968.com/reviews.cfm?id=47

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