IS&T Spotlight:
Publish Dynamic Content on Your Web Site with RSS
•
Sean Brown
Information Services and Technology (IS&T) has launched a
service that enables web publishers to include Really Simple Syndication
(RSS) content in
web pages hosted on web.mit.edu. It provides an easy way for MIT web publishers
to add content to their pages that updates dynamically. The RSS Service works
for both personal and organizational pages stored in Athena lockers.
From Static to Dynamic
Most web pages at MIT are written in HTML, which is essentially
a static format. Changing the content of a web page normally
requires manual effort using a tool
like Macromedia Dreamweaver. When RSS is incorporated into HTML, web pages automatically
display content changes supplied by the news feed.
How the Service Works
The RSS service provided by IS&T is based on an open-source
script called Feed2JS. The service provides a web form that lets
you designate the news feed
of your choice and configure various display options. Submitting this form generates
a small amount of HTML and JavaScript code that you place into the source code
of your web pages. Once the code is added, any changes to the content of the
RSS news feed will be reflected within a few minutes on your web pages.
Using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), you can customize the output
of the RSS service so that it blends in with the existing look
and feel of your web site. You can
also set a number of feed options, including
- The number of items to display
- Whether to display item descriptions
- Length of item descriptions to show
Collaborative Efforts
IS&T’s Web Communications
Services (WCS) and Operations
and Infrastructure Services (OIS) Teams have collaborated on
the rollout of the RSS service. The project has involved customizing
the Feed2JS script, running a test pilot, and setting up a server
to host the service. Sites currently using the RSS service include
the School of Engineering and IS&T.
Learning More
If you are interested in learning more about using RSS at MIT,
attend a free IS&T Quick Start class on RSS. This presentation covers RSS basics and shows
what’s involved in setting up the RSS service for your web site.
Users of the RSS service are encouraged to subscribe to a low-volume
email list where new features regarding the service will be announced.
To join
the list,
send an email to wcs-sysadmin@mit.edu. |
