Adding an RSS Feed

Here's a step-by-step explanation for adding an RSS feed to your Outlook that I did for the RGLA staff... hoping it might be useful to some of you, too (for yourselves or others you assist with communications). I modified the examples to reflect this blog.

RSS feeds


First things first, if this is new to you… RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a way for publishers of blogs, news, etc. to make their web content available for subscription. For example, when you add an RSS feed for a blog to your email, you are subscribing to that blog, and from that point forward, you will receive an email anytime new content is published. This saves you the time and effort of regularly checking the blog on the web, and it ensures you don’t miss any important information that is published!

To add an RSS feed in Outlook:

As RG staff members, we all use Microsoft Outlook, and there is a simple way to add an RSS to your Outlook account.

1. Visit the webpage you would like to subscribe to – for our example, you can use this blog (RGLA Staff Broadcast).
2. If the webpage offers RSS, you will see a button with an orange box that says "Posts" or maybe the words "Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)." On this blog, this is located at the very bottom of the page. Click on this link. [In some situations, the site may have a dropdown list of subscription methods – in that case, you will look for the orange button that says “Atom” – usually it is at the bottom of the list. If this is the case, click on Atom.]
3. A new page will open up – for our example, it will look like this. Copy the URL at the top of this page – example: http://rgcommunicator.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
4. Return to Microsoft Outlook.
5. Go to the Tools menu at the top of the main page. Click on Account Settings.
6. Go to the RSS Feeds tab in the box. Click New.
7. In the New RSS Feed dialog box, type or press CTRL+V to paste the URL of the RSS Feed.
8. Click Add and then OK.

You should now be receiving the RGLA Staff Broadcasts in your email.

Note: The posts will not come into your Inbox! They will appear in their own sub-folder (labeled RGLA Staff Broadcast) under the folder RSS Feeds.

Now you are ready to add the RSS for other blogs you follow – such as TJ Addington’s Leading from the Sandbox -- to your email, too.

If you have any questions or issues, please contact Melissa Putney. Thanks!

Web editing reminders

Formatting

·         Use only one (1) space between sentences.

·         There needs to be at least one point of contact (email or phone number) on each page.

·         Put periods at the ends of items in bulleted lists if they are complete sentences.

·         Capitalize the first letter of each word in page titles/names.

·         Capitalize only the first letter of the first word in headings throughout text, unless a proper name.

·         User bold/italics only for emphasis. If you use them too much (extended sentences or paragraphs), then they lose their effectiveness. Remember that plain text is always easier to read.

Usage

·          “website” is one word.

·         “Internet” is always capitalized.

·         “Email” is one word, no hyphen.

·         The word “gospel” is not capitalized, unless you’re referring to a particular Gospel (Mark, Luke, etc.).

·         When referring to ReachGlobal Ministries, use the full name of the ministry the first time you mention it. (i.e. “EFCA TouchGlobal has many ministries. TouchGlobal focuses on…”)

Linking

·         When linking within EFCA pages, open in the same page.

·         When linking to non-EFCA pages, link in a new page.

·         Write the name of the page you are linking to in the “title” field.

·         Don’t use “click here” for creating links.

·         Add links throughout text, not just in lists or when directly referencing something. 

·         Link to the actual page and not to the revision of a page (http://www.efca.org/reachglobal/reachglobal-ministries/efca-touchglobal/top-10-staff-needs-touchglobal/opportunities-edu, not http://www.efca.org/node/25727/revisions/46374/view). If a link has “revision” or “node” in it, then it is not a viable link for the end user.

·         A parent page should not be published with links in it that take the reader to unpublished pages. If you want to publish the parent page, omit any links to unpublished pages. You can always publish a parent page and then return to include a link to a child page when the child page is published.

·         Use bulleted or numbered lists when listing information for easy scanning.

·         Include links on the bottom of the page for the reader to return to parent pages or to move forward to child pages (if any). There should always be a link back to the parent page.

·         The first time you mention a ministry/division, link to its page so that people can easily find out about it without having to search for it on their own.

Miscellaneous

·         Before creating new content, make sure it isn’t already available somewhere else.

·         Think about what other pages on the site you can link to, including non-RG pages.

·         If you have a template or something else already created to work off of, start with that, instead of with just a blank page. It helps with consistency and saves you time.

·         If you’re not sure about something on your page (content, layout, formatting, etc.), run it by another editor for feedback.

·         Feel free to ask your editors and publishers for help in anything you’re working on.

Put yourself in your readers’ shoes who aren’t familiar with the EFCA/ReachGlobal. Write out acronyms, link to ministries, don’t use jargon.

The EFCA Communicator blog...

In an effort to cultivate and maximize our teamwork, we now have a blog.  The intention of it is to be a resource, not an additional obligation.  This blog will be entirely what we make of it.  So what can we make of it?

• Post resources you find: link it, tag it, expound it
• Post questions you have for your fellow communicators
• Post prayer requests and pray for the team
• Pose ideas, invite feedback, ask for help
• Offer helpful reminders (think: obscure style guide hints)

Please utilize this resource as-needed. Put it in your favorites, subscribe to the RSS feed, and interact with your team.  Here's to mutual edification and resourcing!