Now at one point of their travel they reached a river. The river was wide but passable . There was no need for a bridge. Most animals and men could cross the river with ease. Unfortunately, there were some who could not cross. And one such creature stood on the bank. It … she was a petite creature a dancer traveling also. But she was alone and afraid to cross.

She was petrified with terror just looking at the wide river.

The two monks arrived. And the elder one took one look at her. Then approached her and offered to carry her on his back. The Girl took the Elder Monk’s offer without and regret because in a short time they were already on the other side. Wet but safe.

Meanwhile, the younger Monk was also petrified. Not out of fear of the river but with disgust with the action of the Elder Monk. In their order it was forbidden to touch a woman. And odd rule but it was laid down by another monk several years after contemplating on a hill top for several days without the benefit of food, water and common sense – it seems.

So the Young Monk stood there aghast. He was frozen on the spot. Until the Elder Monk motioned him to cross. Inside the young Monk’s mind his head was still filled with repugnance at the his Elder’s action.

But he kept his peace. For around a few leagues. And then finally he could not contain it no longer. The Young Monk stopped and started berating his Elder. This went on for a couple of leagues. And then Young Monk stopped dead tired from the tongue lashing he gave the Elder Monk.

Expecting an answer or an apology the Younger Monk stopped and waited. The Elder Monk just looked at him and said, “I left the young woman when we crossed the river but you still seem to be carrying her.”

And the Elder smiled and continued on his journey to the Northern Temple.

Post from: EveryJoe

Happy RSS Awareness Day!

Blog and site feeds/Social RSS readers
Technorati feeds, fans and tags
Twitter and twitter tools
Bookmarking site feeds, networks and tags
Social network feeds
Google Alerts/’similar pages’
YouTube feeds/related videos
Sites without feeds

It is an interesting article and not only for journalists but also for bloggers or any web-content publisher. The amazing thing is there already are a number bloggers have known about most of these tools before and mostly because as bloggers a number have been Alpha and Beta testers of these tools.

Again, It is an informative and interesting article. A good starting point for talking about more uses and innovations of RSS feeds and more social media tools. One good topic would be handling the information overload.

Post from: EveryJoe

Reading RSS feeds can helps journalists

But why do the good people behind Daily Blogging Tips proposes and copyblogger support May 1 as RSS Day? And how do we go about celebrating May 1?

The reason behind it is that despite the increasing presence of RSS only a few people actively use it. Hence, the niche for Kawasaki’s AllTop and Quazion. As Daily Blogging Tips states it the objective is:

The objective of the RSS Awareness Day is to get as many people as possible talking about RSS and its benefits on May 1st. Bloggers and blog readers are already aware of the RSS format, but if enough of them talk about it perhaps the mainstream media will cover it as well, and the general public will get exposed to it.

If people start reading about RSS and how it can help them everywhere, I am sure that some will get curious at least to try it out. Over the time the usage of the format should pick up, and all the Internet users (including content publishers) gain from it. [Source]

I am all for it. How does one do it? Or how does one join the campaign for RSS Day?

1. Blog about RSS on May 1

2. Put an RSS badge on your blog or website from now till May 1. I think Daily Blogging Tips will be providing some badges soon or they might have already at this point.

3. Help spread the word about the campaign. Check back on Daily Blogging Tips because they have the mechanics on the campaign, plus some prizes as well.

What other ways can RSS be promoted?

Post from: EveryJoe

May 1 RSS Day?

Here is the transcript of the interview with RSS

AFIB: Thank you for allowing A Feed Is Born to interview you MR RSS? Just what does it mean?

RSS: I really do not have any choice. You called the Seven Internet Jinns and Great ENIAC knows what else. Just call me RSS. Everbody does. Can you imagine being called Mr.RSS it often comes out with MRRSS.

RSS , my name, is short for Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0). It also means RDF Site Summary (RSS 1.0 and RSS 0.90) and Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91). But irregardless of what the breakdown of my name is. What is important is that RSS means simply delivering things. Hence, syndication.

I am the Internet’s uber-duper super and friendly delivery boy.

AFIB: Delivery boy?

RSS: Yes. Like Hermes or Mercury [Depending on which side of the Mediterranean your are on] I am the messenger, not of the Gods, but of the Internet.

AFIB: So you deliver email?

RSS: No that is a cousin of mine that is his specialty. I deliver all sorts of stuff and to number of individuals. I am not a one to one delivery boy. With my power I deliver to millions.

I deliver things from blogs and websites. Anything from posts, pictures, and music. In fact one of my first jobs was to deliver mp3 files called podcasts.

I am not a one-to-one delivery boy. As I said I deliver to more than one person. Unless of course the poor blog or website has only one or no subscriber.

AFIB: Subscriber?

RSS: Oh yeah. In order to avail of my services you have to subscribe to me. In most blogs and websites just click on the RSS icon, the orange buttons with multiple waves one on top of the other. It is like the Bat signal but for RSS – because once you sign up I am at your beck and call. As soon as new post appears BAM! I send it to you. You of course can read it through my associates called the Feed Readers. They store the updates from the me and allow you to see it.

See simple click and read.

I come with most blogs and most news feeds. You can generate me as well with services like FeedBurner and others. And I have benefit both online readers and publishers. For readers I deliver them news, posts, images, moving images and sounds and for online publishers, like blogs and websites I help them deliver their content to their subscribers.

AFIB: Do you like your job? Your calling?

RSS: Well it has its up days and its down days. Try wearing that RSS Icon 365 plus one day every year. The satisfaction is to deliver the item. There are problems but mostly relative.

And I mean relatives. I have this uncle you see who never leaves. And is too talkative for his own good. He goes on and on. He just dumps this and that on your lap. Uncle IO.

AFIB: Uncle IO?

RSS: Information Overload. You know the saying you can choose your friends but not your relatives. If you let him he just adds information, information and information.

I just filter and sift through what he says.

AFIB: So do you like your job?

RSS: Of course there is nothing better than delivering several things every micro-second on the Internet. My job satisfaction is high. All my Maslow needs are addressed. And I have help from my friend Atom – another delivery entity of the Internet.

AFIB: If you were to be replaced now by an RSS let say 3.0 or even 3.5 how would you like to remembered?

RSS: I lived well and delivered well? With RSS you can deliver posts and receive posts with ease. I made Internet and information life more simpler. RSS made life simpler.

Post from: EveryJoe

RSS the Delivery Boy

The site also has the latest ( around six months old)tutorial on how to build pipes within a few minutes. And since the presentation is in Jumpcut, Yahoo’s video sharing and editing platform, the video can be embedded into your blog or better yet used for any video presentation you might want to use it for. Of course for educational purposes.

Post from: EveryJoe

A Yahoo Pipes video

According to the press release of the booK:

…shows educators how to use a news aggregator to harness the power of RSS for a variety of purposes, including classroom projects, professional development and keeping students and parents informed. Author and RSS expert John Hendron explains how to use free and inexpensive software such as Garage Band and Audacity to manipulate audio files and create podcasts, and discusses the pros and cons of various blogging platforms. Educators can have students blog and use RSS to deliver their assignments automatically. “With RSS and the Read/Write Web, the possibilities are endless,” says Hendron.[Source]

Aside from the above mentioned subjects the book has the following:

(1) A complete introduction to RSS technology

(2) How to harness the power of RSS for educational purposes

(3) The pros and cons of low-cost and free Web 2.0 software

(4) A list of on-line resources

(5) A glossary

According to the IETSI the book was written and debeloped for the following type of readers: (i) Grade K–12 teachers, (ii) pre-service teachers, (iii) technology coordinators, (iv) curriculum developers; and (v) teacher educators.

I still think anyone who wants to spread the RSS Word or who wants read, despite the recommendation of the IETSI, would buy and read the book.

The book looks promising based on the press release but what else makes it seem a good buy at 20.95 US Dollars.

(1) It is published and endorsed by IETSI an respected non-stock organization that provides leadership and service by promoting the effective use iof technology in PK-12 and teacher educaiton.

(2) Mr. Hendron has very good credentials:

John G. Hendron has been employed since 1999 as a teacher and instructional technologist for Goochland County Public Schools in Virginia. Hendron produces a regular podcast for members of the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE). He also freelances as a graphic and Web designer. In December 2006, he received the Virginia State Technology Leadership Award from the Virginia Department of Education.[Source]

You can buy the book here. Or if you have any questions about the book contact them:

Marlene Nesary (mnesary@iste.org)
Media Contact
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
175 West Broadway, Suite 300
Eugene, OR 97401-3003
Phone : 541-302-3789

or here.

I wish they had provided an online sample of book for reading. Has anyone read this book?

Post from: EveryJoe

RSS for Educators

Probably the best RSS video up to the present. Some updates on this video courtesy of the Commoncraft Blog:

1) A transcript of the script here
2) The German version here
3) Frequently Asked Questions here
4) Courtesy of DotSub the video now has subtitles check it out here.

It is also worthwhile to take a look at Sketch.basement.org ’s RSS for the masses:

Both are fun and effective tools that explain thoroughly how RSS works and how it is important. Time to evangelize about RSS and make it part of the common tongue.

Post from: EveryJoe

Re-Introducing RSS Education Tools

What are the implications of this?

Here is the chart courtesy of scripting news

Link to chart

I. RSS is becoming or cementing its hold on mainstream culture. It is becoming part of the language. Soon we will probably see a lot of words originating from the acronym RSS.

II. RSS is fast becoming ubiquitous. It is everywhere. At least in cyberspace the orange icon is nearly as common as the @ sign. Maybe even the smiley.

III. A lot of people still do not understand RSS. A few seconds a friend came over and saw the word RSS. He then asked me what it was. Now this is important because RSS is becoming popular and practical but there is still a need to familiarize with our friends and neighbors.

We can do it with this:

Commoncraft’s: RSS in plain English (which we featured last July)

I wonder though how much the National Volunteers Organisation of India contributed to the search statistics of RSS. It is also known as Sangh or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS for short. RSS the group has been in the news several times this year. And well they have continously been appearing on the RSS feeds for RSS feeds. It would be interesting to note if it contributed to the search statistics.

Post from: EveryJoe

Love, autism and RSS

RSS — really simple syndication — is a terrific tool that can help you easily track key information you need to excel in your legal practice. David Whelan, manager of legal information for the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Great Library, and a member of the Legal Technology News editorial advisory board, takes the mystery out of RSS in this inaugural podcast hosted by Monica Bay, Editor-in-Chief of the award winning ALM publication, Law Technology News.[Source]

.

Another useful tool for RSS education from a legal practitioner’s point of view.

Post from: EveryJoe

An RSS Podcast from the legal side…

A worthwhile read and will elicit a chuckle or two. For those interested the following readers were reviewed:

Bloglines
Firefox
Google Reader
IGoogle Home Page
Internet Explorer
Netvibes
Newsgator Online Reader
NewisFree
Pageflakes
Rojo
Safari
Sherlock
WindowsLive
MyYahoo
KickRSS
Lightstreamer

Post from: EveryJoe

Searching for the One RSS Feed Reader