Logos and RSS

What Is RSS and What's It Good For?

RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, provides a way for you to receive regularly updated information on your computer, from a variety of sources such as newspapers, religion websites, blogs, or shopping websites.

Like an email program, an RSS reader brings together information from many sources and lets you conveniently read it in one place. Unlike email, there is no spam! You subscribe to each source you want to receive (also called a "feed") and can unsubscribe at any time. Also unlike email, RSS provides only one-way communication. You can read articles but can't send responses using RSS.

Why should you use an RSS reader? In a word: convenience. It's easier to open an RSS reader and have all your favorite information sources right there than it is to go visit a bunch of separate webpages or deal with a multitude of email subscriptions. Think of it as a customized newspaper that delivers just the information you want to read, from the sources you trust.

As a Logos user, you can benefit from RSS to keep you on top of all the latest product and company news, at the moment it's made public! You can even read blogs written by Logos employees and gain more insight into the company and what we do. RSS is not a replacement for NewsWire; it's a complementary service for those who want to be the first to know what's new!

Sounds Great...Where Do I Begin?

Search engines Google and Yahoo have started to offer easy ways for users to subscribe to RSS feeds. The great thing about these is that you don't have to install any software. The only downside is that if you subscribe to a lot of feeds, the page can be a bit slow to load.

If you want to install a dedicated RSS reader (most desktop computers still don't come with one), there are some good free options. There are lots of free readers, some that you download and install and others that you use online. You can also find a number of inexpensive commercial products that have received high marks.

A recent PC World article provides a trustworthy overview of RSS readers available, along with recommendations based on the user's needs. If you want to skip reading the article, the PC World top picks are summarized in this chart.

While the PC World chart doesn't cover them in much detail, a great option for many users is a customized homepage from Google or Yahoo! which allows you to have a search engine and news items on the first page that opens when you launch your web browser. Also, the recently released Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.0 allow you to subscribe to feeds directly from your browser!

Internet Explorer 7

Microsoft's IE7 web browser lets you subscribe to RSS feeds much like you bookmark a webpage. If you are using IE7, you should see an orange icon in the toolbar that looks like the image at right. Click the black triangle next to the orange icon and you'll see a number of feeds listed. Try it now.

Click the name of the feed that you would like to subscribe to, then click the "Subscribe to this feed" link. Do this for each feed you want to "bookmark."

Tip: A quick way to subscribe to all the Logos-related feeds at one time is to import them. Here's how: Right-click this link and choose Save Target As... to download a file called LogosOPML, which contains an index of all RSS feeds from Logos. When prompted, save the file to your desktop. In Internet Explorer 7, hit Alt-Z on your keyboard and choose Import or Export. Choose to Import Feeds then browse to the LogosOPML you just saved and click Next to import all Logos-related feeds.

Now your browser will automatically download new content from these feeds. To view it, press Ctrl-J any time you have Internet Explorer 7 open.

Google

 Google offers a growing number of ways to subscribe to RSS feeds and make them a part of your everyday web use. All of the options below are free.

Google Personal Homepage: If you set up a free Google account, you can use a personalized Google search page. Any of the Logos RSS feeds and blogs listed below can be added to your personal Google homepage. Add feeds by going to Personalized Home and clicking the Add Stuff link in the top right corner. Get started... (If you already use Google Personalized Home, just click the icon below for each feed you want to add.)

Google Toolbar: If you're a Google Toolbar user, you can add a custom Logos button to the toolbar which enables you to view Logos news and search the Logos.com website from any page on the web. Get it here! (Installs version 4 of the toolbar if you don't have it; Internet Explorer only.)

Google Desktop: The Google Sidebar part of this application enables you to subscribe to RSS feeds via a feature called Web Clips. Read about Web Clips...

Google Reader: This web-based feed reader allows you to subscribe to and manage RSS feeds from a Gmail-like interface. Learn more...

Yahoo!

 My Yahoo! is a personalized homepage that allows you to add any of the Logos RSS feeds and blogs listed below. Set up a My Yahoo! account. Or, if you already use My Yahoo!, just click the icon below for each feed you want to add.

Bloglines

  Bloglines is very easy to set up and start using. In three steps you can subscribe to all the RSS feeds and blogs from Logos.

• Register (just enter your email address and create a password) and confirm your registration by responding to the email you will receive.
• Right-click this link and choose Save Target As... to download a file called LogosOPML, which contains an index of all RSS feeds from Logos. When prompted, save the file to your desktop.
• Login to Bloglines and click the My Feeds button. Click Edit. At the bottom of the screen, click Import Subscriptions. Browse to your desktop and select the LogosOPML file and click Save. All the Logos feeds and blogs listed below will now show up in your Bloglines "My Feeds" section.

Logos Feeds and Blogs

If you want to subscribe to feeds individually or are already using an RSS reader, here's a list of Logos-related feeds and blogs.

Logos RSS Feeds

• Logos Blog
  Get to know a little more about Logos Bible Software! Our blog is where you can get to know Logos employees, get tips on using the software, hear about upcoming features, and even find an occasional discount coupon.  
• Logos Code Blog
  Learn programming tips from the guys who are building the next version of the Libronix engine.  
• Morris Proctor's Tips & Tricks
  Every Wednesday and Saturday at the Tips & Tricks blog, Morris Proctor—authorized trainer for Logos Bible Software—provides a new tip for maximizing your efficiency and skill in using Logos Bible Software.  
• Pre-Publication Titles
  Keep up to date with the latest Pre-Pubs.  
• Community Pricing Titles
  Keep up to date with the new titles added to the Community Pricing Program.  
• Press Releases
  Stay on top of the latest news by subscribing to our press releases.  
• Independent Product Reviews
  Find out what others are saying in magazines, journals, and websites by subscribing to our product reviews.  

Personal Blogs of Logos Employees

• Bob Pritchett, president and CEO
  FireSomeoneToday - Subscribe! 
  BobPritchett.com - Subscribe! 
• Rick Brannan, design and editorial
  Ricoblog - Subscribe!  
• Mike Heiser, academic editor
  The Naked Bible - Subscribe!
  Scribal Practices - Subscribe!
  PaleoBabble - Subscribe!
• Steve Runge, scholar-in-residence
  NT Discourse - Subscribe! 
• Bill Nienhuis, director, publisher relations office
  OriginalExpression - Subscribe! 
• Sean Boisen, senior information architect
  Blogos - Subscribe! 
• Phil Gons, press relations
  PhilGons.com - Subscribe! 
  
• Ryan Burns, marketing
  Going to Seminary - Subscribe! 
  
• John Barry, Bible Study Magazine
  The Infinite in Everything - Subscribe!