RSS Feeds

What are RSS feeds?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication is a web feed format that is used to publish information which is updated on a constant basis. These feeds include full or summarized text, date and time of publish and the author. RSS is a subscribtion service and is normally indicated at the top of a web page. When clicking on a RSS Link it directs you to the source of the information of which it displays. RSS has come a long way since 1999 and now many people have become accustomed to the RSS logo.



Benefits
Easy to subscribe
Just a few clicks and you now have a subscription.

No other Software is needed
Most web browsers have a RSS feeder built in in which it will update and inform of any new feeds.

Automatically Updated
Being a subscription, the feeds are automatically updated by the RSS feeder.

Frequently Updated
For users that need to know the latest news on the minute.

Negative Aspects
Poor media
Visually Stimulating elements of web pages come through at poor resolutions.

Sources
RSS Feeds do not clearly define the source.

Server crashes
Due the high demand for RSS, servers become overloaded.

IR Impact
RSS is a free service that provides up to the minute news and information. It has made it easier to stay up to date with the latest changes in stock, top news story, etc. Due to these aspects RSS has made a positive impact on IR.

Podcasting

Podcasting

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is a series of audio or video digital media files which are broadcasted and distributed over the Internet. A podcast is different from most other digital media formats by its ability to be subscribed to and downloaded automatically when new content is added. The host or author of a podcast is called a podcaster. The term is a combination of the words "iPod" and "broadcast", the Apple iPod being the brand of portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were developed. Podcast contents are not just music or video, but some also contain talk shows programmes.

Benefits of Podcasting

Easily Accessible

Because of the fact that they are subscribed to and automatically downloaded it makes it incredibly easy to get the latest content

Reaching a Greater audience

Podcasts can extend to people who depend on the internet as a source of media.

Easily Accessable

Because of the fact that they are subscribed to and automaticaly downloaded it makes it incredibly easy to get the latest content

Negative Aspect

People will rather download the podcast than go to a seminar or lecture.

Impact on IR

Podcasting has increased Information retrieval due to ease of accessibility. Automatically downloaded and therefore no time is wasted in manually downloading the podcast and it is appealing to the lazier audience.

Some Poadcast sites

http://podcast.com
http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/