What about an RSS feed?

Gav · #1 20.06.2006, 19:34

Hi Mark,

after using the excellent customised Google homepage for a while, I'm wondering if you have any plans to make an RSS feed for the site, giving details of new posts?

Gav

mark · #2 20.06.2006, 19:36

I'm sure I can do something like that. Currently we have an inbound feed from Swissinfo, I presume you want me to make an outbound feed for people to integrate into their own sites or customised pages?

Anyone else like this idea?

gbn · #3 20.06.2006, 19:51

yes please.

If anyone is interested, I use www.bloglines.com as my RSS reader to avoid a client install at work

mark · #4 20.06.2006, 20:41

Looks like it is already a standard feature - click the FAQ link and type in "RSS" as the search term. Let me know if this is what you were after?

Gav · #5 20.06.2006, 21:23

	Quote:	mark
	Looks like it is already a standard feature - click the FAQ link and type in "RSS" as the search term. Let me know if this is what you were after?

I tried adding it to my Google personal page and it seems to be giving a problem at the moment. I'm getting the link to the Forums in the header but underneath where I'd imagine the links to new content would be, I'm seeing:

"Information is temporarily unavailable."

Gav

Gav · #6 20.06.2006, 21:25

	Quote:	gbn
	yes please. If anyone is interested, I use www.bloglines.com as my RSS reader to avoid a client install at work

You can add RSS links to the personalised Google pages too -- quite handy if you don't have so many sites to monitor.

Gav

gbn · #7 21.06.2006, 07:33

thanks - I'll try that

mark · #8 21.06.2006, 08:30

	Quote:	Gav
	I tried adding it to my Google personal page and it seems to be giving a problem at the moment. I'm getting the link to the Forums in the header but underneath where I'd imagine the links to new content would be, I'm seeing: "Information is temporarily unavailable." Gav

Hi Gav, I just added it to my google homepage and it works fine - maybe you should check it again. The only thing is that it is showing only new threads - not new posts. I'll see if there is a hack to change this.

Gav · #9 21.06.2006, 18:55

	Quote:	mark
	Hi Gav, I just added it to my google homepage and it works fine - maybe you should check it again. The only thing is that it is showing only new threads - not new posts. I'll see if there is a hack to change this.

On mine it's still showing a link to the main site but with the 'Information unavailable' message below it.

Gav

mark · #10 21.06.2006, 18:58

Hi Gav,

Try putting the URL of the feed directly into your browser - you should see the XML file loads, and you can see all the information in it. I just checked again, and it's working fine. I presume that you have double-checked the URL and are using the one ending in rss2...

Gav · #11 21.06.2006, 19:12

	Quote:	mark
	Hi Gav, Try putting the URL of the feed directly into your browser - you should see the XML file loads, and you can see all the information in it. I just checked again, and it's working fine. I presume that you have double-checked the URL and are using the one ending in rss2...

The RSS2 feed did the trick. Very handy, I'm really getting to like the Google homepage and little things like RSS.

Gav

mark · #12 26.06.2006, 12:01

Just an update on this - I found an existing site (which seems to be run by a member of this forum who hasn't posted on this thread) with a working RSS feed into this forum. Just thought people might want to see a working example of what we are talking about on this thread:

http://www.swinglish.ch/

joshuakaufman · #13 31.10.2006, 13:13

This thread was initially going to be a request for an RSS feed of new threads, then half way through writing it I decided to do a Google search and see what options were out there. Thanks to this blog post, I found out that vBulletin already does this!

To get an RSS feed of new threads on English Forum just subscribe to:
http://www.englishforum.ch/external.php?type=RSS2

I noticed this information is available in the FAQ but it definitely should be promoted more heavily. RSS may not be mainstream yet but as this forum is full of tech heads, I'm sure it would be useful.

BeastOfBodmin · #14 31.10.2006, 20:40

	Quote:	joshuakaufman
	To get an RSS feed of new threads on English Forum just subscribe to: http://www.englishforum.ch/external.php?type=RSS2 I noticed this information is available in the FAQ but it definitely should be promoted more heavily. RSS may not be mainstream yet but as this forum is full of tech heads, I'm sure it would be useful.

This post is in a similar vein. I'm paraphrasing here, so please read for yourself, but apparently there are things like a charter and a more appropriate FAQ on the way or at least on the list.

mark · #15 02.11.2006, 17:03

	Quote:	joshuakaufman
	I noticed this information is available in the FAQ but it definitely should be promoted more heavily. RSS may not be mainstream yet but as this forum is full of tech heads, I'm sure it would be useful.

Hi Joshua, we discussed this already a few months back so I merged your thread into the old thread. I think the thing here is if you are the type who wants to use RSS you'll figure it out - many of us have. After all, it's not hard to locate the information. Overly promoting a feature like that might just waste time for the majority of people who aren't interested in it? As you pointed out - it's in the FAQ, which I think is good enough. Maybe one day the developers of vbulletin will add a little link somewhere like the blogging sites do.

joshuakaufman · #16 09.11.2006, 00:53

Well if I had to do a Google search just to figure out how to do it, it can't be that easy to find the information. And honestly, why should I have to search at all?

	Quote:	mark
	Maybe one day the developers of vbulletin will add a little link somewhere like the blogging sites do.

Is adding a link to the homepage difficult?

#17 09.11.2006, 07:21

Because you are the one that wants it.
dave

	Quote:	joshuakaufman
	Well if I had to do a Google search just to figure out how to do it, it can't be that easy to find the information. And honestly, why should I have to search at all?

joshuakaufman · #18 09.11.2006, 13:17

	Quote:	DaveA
	Because you are the one that wants it.

What I meant was that RSS is quickly becoming a standard on the web - i.e. people expect it - so why shouldn't it be on the homepage? I shouldn't have to search for it.

Lob · #19 09.11.2006, 13:29

Joshua, you haven't missed the RSS icon in your FF2 address bar have you?

joshuakaufman · #20 09.11.2006, 17:33

	Quote:	Lob Rockster
	Joshua, you haven't missed the RSS icon in your FF2 address bar have you?

Jeez, is it "Make Joshua Look Stupid" Day? :P

Yes, I use FF2. No, I haven't missed the RSS icon in the address bar. I'm not making these comments for myself; I'm making them for the general user who 1) isn't likely to use FF and 2) may not know about the RSS icon even if they do use FF.