7 Process for using RSS V1.0

7.1 Getting started

Agencies implementing this standard, and making news-feeds available, need to notify the SSC EGU so that the aggregator can be configured to harvest their news-feeds from their web servers.

There are four steps to adopting and implementing the standard:

1. An agency creates news articles in the format described in this document, and creates the appropriate URLs on their web server.

2. The agency notifies the SSC EGU of the URLs by sending an email to newsfeed@e-government.govt.nz with details of their configuration. The SSC EGU will send the agency a confirmation.

3. The SSC EGU runs a test fetch of the articles and parses the XML code. Any errors are returned to the agency for correction.

4. Once corrections are made, the agency emails newsfeed@e-government.govt.nz nominating a suitable start date and preferred fetch frequency.

There is no formal audit or compliance procedure associated with the process and schema; rather, agencies can self-certify their compliance. The SSC EGU has configured the XML parser to conform to the standard and will email the agency about any failures encountered, enabling agencies to fine-tune systems where necessary.

7.1.1 An example of RSS V1.0

For clarity and simplicity, this example of RSS V1.0 does not include any optional elements.

Changing the example to suit agency needs

Agencies can adapt the above example to their own situation by following these simple steps.

The <channel> section:

• Change the <title> element to the name of the agency
• Change the <link> element to the agency's URL for their news page or website
• Change the <description> element to something appropriate for the agency

The <rdf:Seq> section:

• Ensure that there is an <rdf:li> element for each news <item> in the file. The URL in this element should match the URL with the <item> itself.

Each news <item> should contain:

• a <title>
• a <link> (URL) where the news article can be found
• a short <description> of the news item - this should be pure text only and contain no HTML or XML mark-up
• an <nzgls:date> showing that date that this <item> should be published
• an <nzgls:identifier> that is unique for each <item>
• the agency's name in the <nzgls:type.agency> element.

7.2 The news-feed

The news-feed must be available as a (HTTP) URL that can be fetched over the Internet. The URL can point to any type of page, as long as it is retrievable by HTTP. Agencies may make their news content available using a static or dynamic (such as PHP, ASP and Perl) page. The URL must always remain the same.

Some example (fictitious) URLs:

• http://www.doc.govt.nz/doc-news.rdf
• http://www.ssc.govt.nz/news/news.rss

The content within the agency feed must always contain the news items for the last seven days at a minimum. This will ensure that news items are not lost, even if there is a service disruption. If there is no news content for this period of time, the aggregator will find an empty feed. This does not mean a file of zero bytes, but rather a feed with no < items > in it.

An alternative solution is to provide the latest (for example, 10) items in the agency feed. This means that even if no new content is added, the feed will always feature the agency's most recent news items.

On fetching a feed, the aggregator will save new stories and update stories that have already been published. If a story that has been published needs to be changed, a new version will have to be submitted for publication.

7.3 Deliverables required if the proposal is ratified

If the-GIF custodian decides to progress the standard, resources will be required for the SSC EGU to further develop and publish updated guidelines on best practice use of RSS as circumstances change.