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Program Assessment User Session Experts (PAUSE)
Information Sessions: RSS & Email Subscription Services
October 17 - 18, 2006
2
Agenda
• Question and Answer Session
• Review of information and procedures, as needed
• Potential discussion topics– Downloading RSS reader– Installing RSS reader– Subscribing to RSS channels– Accessing Email Subscription Service– Subscribing to Email Subscription Service
3
Feedback and Questions
• How are things going with RSS and the Email Subscription Services?
• How many people are now using RSS and the Email Subscription Services?
• Questions or comments?
4
Testing Schedule Overview
• 10/11 Participation instructions emailed to Participants
• 10/17-18 Optional RSS / ESS Information Sessions
• 10/27 Midpoint on-line survey emailed to Participants
• 11/8 Final on-line survey emailed to Participants
• 11/14 On-line journals and final on-line surveys due
5
Review of Week 2 Information
Review of Information on RSS and
Email Subscription Services
(as needed)
6
Agenda
• Agenda and Introductions
• Background Questionnaire Review
• RSS and Email Subscription Services
• Subscribing to RSS Feeds (a live demo / discussion)
• Subscribing to E-mail Service (a live demo / discussion)
• Subscription Services Testing and Wrap-up
7
Purpose of Session
• Proposing to add 2 new capabilities to our websites:– RSS– Email Subscription Service
• Demonstrate prototype capabilities
• Ask you to help test the prototypes– give feedback so we can make enhancements
8
Subscription Services – Covered Topics
• Need for Subscription Services• Overview of RSS – RSS and Knowledge Resources
– What is RSS?, Benefits / Limitations, and How RSS works• Demo of RSS• What is the Email Subscription Service?
– What is it?, Benefits / Limitations, and How the Email Subscription Service works
• Subscribing to RSS Feeds (a live demo / discussion)• Subscribing to E-mail Service (a live demo / discussion) • Introduce concept of PAUSE testing the Subscription Services• Ask for participation in testing• Survey
9
Background on Need for Subscription Services
• Diversity and breadth of knowledge
• Applications Overview – 16 categories >> 176 specific applications (see http://www.itsoverview.its.dot.gov/)
• Lessons Learned – 9 Lesson Categories >> 45 categories (see http://www.itslessons.its.dot.gov/)
• States – see information by the 50 states (see http://www.itslessons.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/LessonStateHome)
10
Background on Need for Subscription Services
• Applications Overview – 16 categories >> 176 specific applications (see http://www.itsoverview.its.dot.gov/)
11
Background on Need for Subscription Services
• Lessons Learned – 9 Lesson Categories >> 45 sub-categories (see http://www.itslessons.its.dot.gov/)
12
An Overview of RSS – RSS and Knowledge Resources
• RSS allows you to receive selected "news items", such as:
– "What's new" in Knowledge Resources (e.g., Costs, Benefits and Lessons Learned KRs)
– ITS-related news items from Bernie Wagenblast's Transportation Communication Newsletter
– Application Area news items (e.g., Arterial Management > Traffic Control)
– Lesson Category news items (e.g., Design and Deployment > System Design)
13
An Overview of RSS – What is RSS?
• RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” (but can also stand for “Rich Site Summary”, or “RDF Site Summary”)
• Works as an automated way to see "What's New" on a Web site– Requires a sender (manual or automated) and a subscriber
• Also used as a method for distributing headline content and data between sites
• Commonly used for news items and web log (“Blog”)
14
An Overview of RSS – Benefits and Limitations of RSS
• Benefits
– Users can create customized news feeds that show only topics of individual interest
– When this is performed for many sites, a customized view of information from many sources is aggregated in one place
– This can save time over accessing many sites daily in order to discover new items
15
An Overview of RSS – Benefits and Limitations of RSS
• Limitations
– 82% in a recent survey did not know what RSS was*
– Requires work to set up the RSS reader
– Requires work to identify sites to get news items from
* http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115075895691584597-J7Zkgfyy0QteJpjOz_Obi7mmUH0_20060627.html?mod=blogs – Lee Gomes of Wall Street Journal
16
An Overview of RSS – How RSS Works
• Originating site creates an RSS “feed” or “channel,” which is an XML file accessed by a standard URL. – An RSS file consists of a list of items, each of which contains a title,
description and a link to a web page– Date information
• Users instruct their RSS tool to “subscribe” to the feed. – Tool automatically accesses and downloads new file(s) for each
subscription and parses them to show summary and headline information in a convenient, easily viewed format.
– User can then access more detail by navigating to content source from the RSS tool
17
New Washington Post
Technology Channel Story
RSS – Washington Post Technology source
Channel =
WashingtonPost.com –
Technology
18
RSS – Transportation Communications Newsletter source
Channel = Intelligent
Infrastructure – Arterial
Management Systems – Traffic
Control
New TCN news story
for Traffic Control
application area channel
19
RSS – Lessons Learned Knowledge Resource source
Channel = Intelligent
Infrastructure – Arterial
Management Systems – Traffic
Control
New Lessons Learned entry
for Traffic Control
application area channel
20
Summary of Differences between RSS and Applications Overview
• Only new items• Tailored to your interests
regarding the types of ITS information you receive
• Links to some stories may expire over time
• Accessed through an RSS reader and browser
Applications Overview RSS• Archival• Searchable, for all information,
not just new information• Accessed via browser
21
RSS – Experiences Using It?
• Has anyone used RSS?
• Anyone want to share their experiences (good or bad)?
22
An Overview of the Email Subscription Service – What is it?
• Email Subscription Service is a method to distribute targeted and timely information to a subscriber using ordinary email– Subscriber selects subject and frequency of email receipt
• Uses any email account– No need to install specialized software– No need to establish new email account
23
An Overview of Email Subscription Service – How does it work?
• Subscriber accesses webpage that describes the process for signing up to receive email
– User provides email address and selects topic or topics of interest– User specifies frequency of email receipt (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly.)
• Emails sent to address provided by user according to user specified schedule
– User may modify or cancel email receipt at any time
24
An Overview of Email Subscription Service – Benefits and Limitations
• Benefits– Subscribers automatically receive information via email– Information may be compiled from several sources and consolidated into
a single email– This can save time over accessing many sites daily in order to discover
new items
• Limitations– Email could be considered spam– User can be overwhelmed by amount of email received (independent of
this service) and the emails from this service could get lost in email in-box
25
Summary of Differences between RSS and the Email Subscription Service
• Delivered through email system and items clickable through a browser
• Duplicate news items are filtered out
Email Subscription Service RSS
• Accessed through an RSS reader and items clickable through a browser
• Duplicate news items may occur
• Only new items• Tailored to your interests
regarding the types of ITS information you receive
• Links to some stories may expire over time
26
Subscribing to RSS Feeds & Email Subscription Service
• Subscribing to RSS Feeds (a live demo / discussion)
• Subscribing to Email Subscription Service (a live demo / discussion)
27
• Purpose: Gather feedback to allow enhancements to the RSS and Email subscription service prototypes, to better suit your needs.
• Participants can subscribe to either the RSS or Email Subscription Service, or both.
• Participants will be given an overview and instructions on RSS and/or Email Subscription Service to help them set up RSS or the Email Subscription Service and participate in the testing.
PAUSE Testing of Subscription Services
28
PAUSE Testing of Subscription Services – Process
Steps involved in helping to test the RSS and Email subscription services:
1. Indicate your interest in participating in testing the RSS or the Email subscription service, or both.
2. Receive email from Volpe on participation details3. Install RSS reader software / subscribe to channels, and/or
subscribe to email service.4. Use RSS and/or Email subscription service.5. Record comments on your usage in electronic journal.6. Complete two on-line surveys.7. Receive our thanks for participating, and a summary presentation
on RSS and Email subscription service.