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Content Syndication with RSS

Several years ago I started advocating for simple content interoperability between nonprofit websites. That hasn't really happened yet, of course, but with the success of the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) format, some nonprofits are starting to catch on. Ben Hammersley's book Content Syndication with RSS is an invaluable guide to the process. RSS got its start in the form of news feeds at Netscape, really blossomed when weblogs took off, and is now being used to share content of many different kinds. The book is a technical guide and covers the basics of content syndication, how to use the RSS formats, how to extend them to meet new and interesting needs, and the XML essentials required for implementation. I highly recommend it to the more technical among you who are looking at this. Posted: 2/15/05; 8:26:11 AM #

Essential Blogging

There are several books out there about weblogs, but still one of the most practical and valuable ones is Essential Blogging, authored by a group of talented bloggers and weblog software developers. It's a software guide, not a guide to writing. Despite having been published several years ago, the introductions to various platforms are still useful and I recommend it, as a solid survey, to the technical staff of clients who are considering weblogs. I also have to mention that I'm charmed by the cover: In honor of the basic character of blogging, it's a jumble of cats and kittens, headed every which way. Posted: 2/15/05; 8:16:51 AM #