Academia has embraced RSS as a means to educate, but scrutinizing how educational institutions are using RSS feeds in their daily routines show RSS is utilized can vary across different industries.

1. Share Resources
Academics are using social bookmarking websites to share quality websites that relate to their area of expertise with colleagues and students.

RSS and Education
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Steve Smith who writes for Orderedlist.com has published the results of their recent Content Management Survey. Keep in mind when reviewing the data that OrderedList.com caters to Web designers and those are the folks who most likely responded to the survey.

Although there have been countless debates on whether WordPress is a CMS or not (See the comments of the survey to see another one), it topped the list for which CMS people used. This actually coincides with the results from our own poll on which self hosted publishing platform people used. Surprisingly, the choice of (Other) came in second, meaning there are either plenty of custom CMS’s which people are using or, there are many content management systems that are still under the radar. ExpressionEngine took the third spot.

ExpressionsEngine took the cake as far as satisfaction level. WordPress contained a 41% Very Satisfied rating while all other systems equaled 43%. ExpressionEngine however, contained a whopping 64% Very Satisfied rating. ExpressionEngine is a paid for solution so it is easy to see why the satisfaction rating is so high. If you are going to pay for a CMS, it is likely due to the fact that it suits your needs. Thus, the higher satisfaction levels.

The survey also displays data on whether people prefer to host their own CMS or choose a hosted solution. Also noted at the end of the survey results was proof that designers are control freaks. No big surprise there.

It is obvious that the majority of publishers and bloggers are using WordPress. But my question is why?

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We’ve received some reports of users noticing that their feeds subscription stop updating after upgrades. Our investigations show that these tend to occur after upgrades from one pre-release build of Windows Vista to another version.

If you’re encountering this issue, first make sure that the feed URL is still valid by manually updating the feed (press F5 while viewing the feed in IE7). If no error shows up, then the following steps might help diagnose and fix the issue. Please let me know if they help/not help.

Note: The following steps are *not* addressing Outlook 2007’s RSS support. If you are having issues with feeds in Outlook please refer to the Outlook blog.

Actions

1. Check if Task Scheduler is running

   sc queryex schedule

   Look at the “STATE:” line, it should read “4 RUNNING” if it’s not running, then start it

   sc start schedule

2. Check if RSS Download Engine is running

   reg query HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Feeds /v SyncStatus

   Look at the “Status” line, it should read “0×01” or “0×1“. If it isn’t enabled, then enable it

   msfeedssync enable

3. Check if task is corrupted

   schtasks /query | findstr /i “user_feed”

   Look for

   ERROR: The task image is corrupt or has been tampered with.

   ERROR: Task cannot be loaded: User_Feed_Synchronization-{..

   If corrupted, then delete and re-create the task

   msfeedssync disable

   msfeedssync enable

If your feeds are still not updating in the background after following these steps (you’ll have to wait for the download interval to pass to make sure), please send us an email at teamrss[at]microsoft.com.

   
 

- Walter vonKoch

Program Manager

[4/2/2007] Updated step #2 that “0×01” and “0×1” are possible values. This are the same in this context.

[10/12/2007] Inserted a note that this post does *not* help with Outlook 2007, this post is focused on the Windows RSS Platform and applications built on top of the platform, for example: Internet Explorer 7, Vista Sidebar Feed Gadget, â?¦

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Okay, my moniker is the Northstar Nerd, thus … the eternal debate, Geek or Nerd!?Via Puneet Gupta's blog who is the CEO of Connectbeam I learned about a new site, TradeVibes, which reviews Silicon Valley startups. This web service reviews a phenomenal number of young companies, and allows you to read reviews, and give an opinion on the future of those same companies.TradeVibes introduced me to CreateDebate. This Web 2.0 company allows any user to create debates where any netizen (i.e. user) may take part in the discussion. Thus, I pondered… what debate should I create as a …
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The thought of building an at-home business can be daunting, even for get-up-and-go types like my ex-wife. Could that be why we’re exes? I’m not gonna go into it!

Even people of a slower, more laid back nature (like yours truly) can be successful online. With just a little bit of time and effort, you can build a business that allows you to set your own hours and work from home in your pj’s. Isn’t this the New American Dream? Hop on in, people. The water’s fine!

Here’s how I did it, and I don’t mind if you copy me.

The first thing you need to do is set yourself up with a website. It can be as complicated as you like, coded in brilliant HTML with stacks of inter-linked web pages your visitors can surf to their heart’s content. Or it can be super simple (see my website). I used Blogger to set up a blog. They make it so easy that even we Baby Boomers can do it in less than five minutes. They even give you several different “looks” to choose from, so you can be unique without knowing any code. How very nice of them, right?

Once I set up my space on Blogger, I was ready to start filling it with content. The first thing I did was a little introductory piece talking a little bit about me and my music, and explaining what I hoped to accomplish with the blog. What you do here is entirely up to you.

Next, I knew I had to start getting content circulating on the Web that would create backlinks to my site. After all, so far nobody can find me! That’s where an article distribution service comes in.

Writing and mass-distributing articles is the best way to get noticed by search engines these days. The more articles you get published that include a link to your site, the more you’ll become relevant during web searches for your product, service or specialty.

I use Article Marketer, because I like the personalized editorial service they offer. They also distribute my articles to hundreds of sites, from ABC Articles to Zinepublishers. They offer competitive prices on quarterly, annual and lifetime memberships — so you can choose what’s right for your business. And it’s unlimited submissions, which is great, so I’m not charged for each article.

Isnare is another popular choice. They charge per article to submit, on a sliding scale from 1 to 115 articles. You pay $10 to submit five articles, right on up to $100 for 115 pieces. If you don’t plan on submitting very many pieces, they might be just the ticket for you.

Another option is PhantomWriters, which charges $35 per article submission, but in return they offer all the articles they publish for free reprint. That means you can grab as many articles as you want to flesh out your blog — even if you only pay to distribute one.

SubmitYourArticles is another popular site. They charge a flat monthly fee ($37) for four article submissions, and this might be perfect if you’re going to write one article a week. It’s definitely affordable on a small-business budget — at least until you discover how prolific you are! Just kidding. Their service is definitely right for people who don’t plan to do a lot of writing.

Now, you can choose any site you want — or you can do it yourself for free (if you have the patience). My feelings won’t be hurt either way, scout’s honor!

Once you have signed up for a service (or not), you should set a writing budget for yourself. Some people write one or two articles a day; others write one a week. It totally depends on how much time you have to devote to your marketing venture. Then you start submitting your content, getting picked up by other sites, and BLING! There you go with more hits on your website than ever before.

I wish you luck with your new online adventure! So far, I’m having a whole lotta fun doing something that doesn’t feel very much like work. I hope your experience is as good or better.

Companies, big and small, have joined the blogosphere. Microsoft is blogging, so are General Motors, Google, IBM and Sun Microsystems. Companies are using blogs to engage customers and employees as well. Written by employees and in some instances by CEOs, blogs adopt a conversational and engaging tone which make them easy reading. Blogging has even empowered employees in more ways than one. A glaring evidence is employee bloggers, in most cases, have shifted the power structure in their favor to establish a higher degree of credibility and influence more than their bosses.

Weblogs or blogs for short are personal journals that serve as sources of commentary, opinion and uncensored sources of information on a multitude of topics. Each new entry called a blog post includes numerous links to other blogs, news articles, photos, commentaries, video and audio files. Most blogs allow readers to leave comments

According to a survey, people are far more likely to trust “average people like me” than to trust people in authority like the CEOs. Employees are now in newfound and enviable positions to either promote or speak against their companies’ products, services, policies and positions on important issues. What is more, people are listening to what these bloggers are saying. Blogs are a trusted communication medium. The word of a blogger holds much value to a consumer far more than traditional marketing and advertising. By far, word of mouth is the most trusted form of advertising. This highlights the significant role that an employee blogger wields either to boost or hinder sales through his blog. This just goes to show that people would rather hear from real people talking with real experiences than listen to marketing talk.

Employee blogs have helped improve the image and reputation of their companies. One classic example is Microsoft. Its hottest and controversial blogger Robert Scoble (recently resigned) had openly criticized Microsoft concerning issues ranging from quality control to sensitive issues. His negative posts on his blogs called Scobleizer about the MSN Spaces product proved to be a blessing in disguise for Microsoft. Readers were all praises that the company’s resident blogger would express an opinion that runs counter to the company. As a result, Microsoft’s reputation as a bully and a great monolith was torn down. People now see a company that is run by actual people who has their best interests in mind. Robert Scoble in defense of his contentious actions emphasized that credibility is of utmost importance. If he will only sing praises about Microsoft it would sound like a press release and he would lose the ability to have an open conversation with his readers.

Robert Scoble’s penchant to criticize his employer was put to the test again when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the company’s decision not to back an anti-discrimination bill against gays and lesbians. Scoble disagreed and publicly chastised Ballmer in his blog. Ballmer later reversed the decision. A few months before his departure from Microsoft, Robert Scoble, again, wrote a harsh critique against his employer for shutting down the controversial blog of Chinese Journalist Zhao Jing. He accused the MSN Spaces team of Microsoft for “being used as a state-run thug”.

Microsoft is not alone. Yahoo blogger Jeremy Zawdony openly scolded his employer in his blog. He complained about the practice of changing users’ home pages during the installation process of Yahoo software. He wrote in his posting that the action was insulting and downright disrespectful.

Companies have also seen their reputations damaged by highly-publicized firings of employee bloggers. Mark Jen was sacked by Google apparently because he wrote about his life at Google including remarks on the company’s financial performance and future projects in his personal blog. Ellen Simonetti, A Delta Air Lines flight attendant was terminated allegedly for posting inappropriate pictures on her blog. The photos showed her in a skirt and blouse sitting atop the airplane seats.

All these incidents bring to the fore the delicate situations corporations that maintain blogs and employees that blog are in. Corporate blogs that criticizes management or its products or services present public relations dilemmas. On the other hand, if a blog contains nothing but good public relations posts, few people will be interested and will even be doubtful of the veracity of the blog articles.

It is a recognized fact that blogs are establishing in the online world much of the value that traditional public relations bring. As the importance of corporate bloggers becomes more evident, so do the corresponding disadvantages. Companies need a clear-cut policy on how blogging can be integrated into their communication and marketing mix. A company needs to set up corporate blogging policies to ensure that blogging thrives in a more controlled and productive manner. In essence, these guidelines will lay down the specific rules about what an employee blogger is allowed to blog about. Employee bloggers have to strictly abide by rules about leaking confidential company information or breaking federal securities disclosure rules. All these are preventive measures to avoid organizational and legal problems such as slander, libel and harassment.

Google has no definitive guidelines but allows employees to blog on the assumption that “they are reasonable people”. One of Sun Microsystems policy states that “it is perfectly ok to talk about your work and have a conversation with the community but it is not ok to publish the recipe for one of our secret sauces.” Hill and Knowlton specified that as a publicly-owned company, bloggers cannot discuss company revenues, future plans.

Despite the controversies and the risks involved in blogging, companies are embracing blogging. Companies are well aware of the potential benefits of blogging. It is a way to connect with customers and partners, strengthens company unity and present a human face to the world-at-large. These companies feel that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Blogs are here to stay and will continue to be a reliable communication and marketing tool. It is and will be a reliable source of information for everybody.

Blogging will definitely change the power structure within any company. With a blog, an employee blogger, whatever his position in the company is can become an influential person for some audiences and customers.