Canada Podcast OPML

I noticed that the OPML created for the Canada Podcasts out there has alot of easy to fix mistakes (and a few custom tags, which is fine). Maybe Bob Goyeche (listed as the author) would like to drop me a line, so we can sort it all out properly. ๐Ÿ™‚

Try entering the URL for that OPML into an early OPML manager I created – then hit load. It all looks fine, until you realise that the OPML thinks each link to a feed is a ‘link’ to more OPML and not the type ‘RSS’ with xmlUrl to the feed, as it should be.

Here’s an audio message I made a while ago about this.

The ‘DaveSite‘ which Mr. Winer points to is not all that useful as it stands – this is because it is simply linking to the RSS xml feeds and displaying those. That upsets lots of people, who don’t know what they are looking at. Not only that, but David seems to insist on linking to OPML AND RSS with the same icon. Bad idea imho. Sure it is XML, but that orange button has meant ‘RSS’ for so many, for so long – it’s confusing to link to OPML with (even though is is just XML). I always wandered if he had promoted an orange icon saying ‘RSS’, maybe people wouldn’t be so confused about RSS and ‘feeds’ as they are now. (Almost) EVERYONE adopted the old orange button – now they use a generic ‘feed’ icon.

I will have a bash at cleaning up that Canadian OPML and trying a test import.

UPDATE: I fixed the Canada OPML to comply with the spec – though I left the custin tags in there.

You can find it here : http://podcast.com/opml/canada_fixed.opml

See the comments in the OPML for what I did.

Now it works perfectly, as people will expect. ๐Ÿ™‚ Try entering the new URL into my OPML manager – now you can RSS feeds! Yes!! (It is also in the drop down list on that Flash app)

Community Podcast Directories

Dave Winer points out one of the core reasons we have built (and continue to build) podcast.com in the way we have – forming a solid content data foundation, with easy tools – then slapping that data into a great UI, for the web, mobiles and desktop. Heads up, Scoble! ๐Ÿ˜‰
‘Community Directories’ (made by real, passionate people) are exactly what you will have available at podcast.com, all with lots of lovely open OPML and RSS for you to consume and manipulate using the gorgeously easy tools we are building here for you. And IMHO, much nicer OPML management than some applications I have seen out there from the self-declared OPML centres of the Universe out there.

Soon, you will be able to log in to podcast.com, create an account – get a super hot url for your podcast directory and fill her up!

  Check out BBC.podcast.com, CNN.podcast.com – or NPR.podcast.com – these took seconds to set up.

The power of OPML inclusion will make it very easy to connect many different users’ podcast directories together to form an infinite growth of trees of directories, mashed up any way you like.

Update : Dave Winer is not allowing me to comment on his Blog Annexe – shame. My posts seem to disappear. Not totally unexpected, as he does not like me at all – but not what I would expect from Mister ‘Open and Transparent’ – The posts were relevant too – maybe this trackback will work, to his daily comment area.

So, how did Dave Winer get the fresh BBC podcast feed?

I thought I’d show you where that feed came from that Dave Winer pointed to yesterday (since there was no link to the site ๐Ÿ˜‰ )

Over on podcast.com, you will see many folders in the podcast directory you see there. One of the icons is a green feed icon : clicking it will display all the latest feeds (like a ‘NewsRiver’ for podcasts) The RSS feed icon link that appear there is the subscription link you need to stay updated to all feeds within that folder.

For the BBC podcast feeds though, we have set up a subdomain, pointing directly at the / Podcasts / News & Media / BBC folder.

This can be visited at http://bbc.podcast.com

From that subdomain page, you can also view the freshest feed by clicking the ‘freshest feeds’ button on the left menu. Again, the feed subscription link will appear there for you. For the BBC it is http://feeds.podcast.com/2417 and eventually we’ll make that easier my having bbc.podcast.com/fresh/feed or something.

Soon we will have some cool things for you to embed wherever you like, so you can keep updated and also see all the cool things you can easily put together using the feeds and data we have for you at podcast.com

Fresh BBC feeds

Nice to see the fresh podcast feeds from the BBC are working nicely for Mistah Winah!

A fresh feed can be generated of all the latest podcasts in all the feeds in any folder.

NOW – don’t forget folks – the directory you currently see at podcast.com is MY user account. Here is a different test account [ koz.podcast.com ]
SOON – you’ll be able to build your own podcast.com ๐Ÿ™‚

All that data you manage there can be imported and exported to your tool of choice. We just hope we can make the discovery journey easier for you.

Fresh Podcast Feeds at Podcast.com

New icons and feeds for the directories at podcast.com

You should see a new icon over on the directories at podcast.com – it’s a green feed icon. We chose green, as it feels ‘FRESH’.

When you click a green feed icon next to a directory folder, the site will load up all the most recent entries to all of the podcasts within that folder. Here is a permalink to one of the fresh feed pages

Also, the results displayed by these icons and the ‘freshest feeds’ menu button on the left, provide you with an RSS feed link which you can use in your favourite aggregator to subscribe the latest podcasts automatically.

Eg: Here is the RSS feed for the latest podcasts from the BBC

Eg: Here is the RSS feed for the latest podcasts from NPR

Eg: Here is the RSS feed for the latest podcasts from CNN

 

Ah, the beauty of distributing content via XML. We love it!

There will be some more very cool new additions to the site coming very soon and we’re working around the clock and the globe to get the doors opened up for you here, so you can start building ‘your own podcast.com’.

Keep an eye on the development blog at podcast.comย 

Podshow Peeves Podcasting Peeps

Looks like Todd Cochrane, Dave, Michael Goeghegen and few others are a bit annoyed about Podshow‘s methods of feed presentation. Hmmm :/

I’ve got in touch with Todd and Michael to see what they think of the podcast.com presentation of their feeds. GeekNewsCentral and ReelReviews
I’ve had trouble logging in and getting my account activation key to look inside.

Meanwhile, I wrote a blogging tool for inside SL (not finished yet – but close – I had a brainwave that I jumped on), in between sorting out some cool new bits and bobs for podcast.com – all related ๐Ÿ˜‰

Atom and RSS – againโ€ฆ

A response to this post from the lead engineer at Amazon.

Does Atom support enclosures. And multiple ones at that?
If so, I would look at creating a toolset to podcast in both formats.

However, that does not mean feeds wonโ€™t be broken. So many publishing tool are broken. RSS is โ€™simplerโ€™ than atom.

If you could show me an example of a podcastable feed in Atom, Iโ€™ll make a tool to publish that feed and enclosure.

I donโ€™t want to fan a feed war, but I want to judge by trying to build a feed publishing tool which works.

BAD FEEDS

Is it time to start listing the producers of BAD RSS FEEDS? Since working on podcast.com and parsing the world of RSS out there, it is plain to see that MANY people are doing so many things WRONG!

What really annoys me is that many of these feeds are being created by people who are PAID to do it RIGHT. How did they get the job?

So – should I start listing the offenders (possibly using a forum software presentation – with ‘fixing threads’ ) and set about HELPING these offenders? I think so – as it’s clear that even publishers like the Times Online still can’t get RSS feeds right (on their podcasts) – spot the error.

It looks like lots of new podcasts have spung up – on the ‘me too’ tip, yet the person who stood up and said ‘I can do it!’ and got the gig – can’t – at least not CORRECTLY ๐Ÿ˜‰

Todd Cochrane also chips in on a comment to a post by Nick Bradbury about this topic. Maybe blubrry will have some solutions?

Gnomedex 6.0 OPML list of attendees

I was asking Chris Pirillo today if there was an OPML list of the attendees and their RSS feed for this year’s impending geekfest in Seattle, Gnomedex6.0. He pointed me to a few feeds created by a service at Blogrolling.com

One of these feeds was RSS 0.92 and seems to be used to supply the website link and rss feed url, using the description for the RSS.

So, I knocked up a quick PHP script which takes that RSS 0.92 feed and converts it, in the best way I can figure out, to OPML.

And hey, I’m even giving you the PHP source code I actually used to do it. VIEW THE SOURCE, LUKE!

Don’t say I never give you anything ๐Ÿ˜‰

UPDATE: Heh. I just saw a hit on the file from a familiar IP address and the ‘User Agent’ – Frontier/9.0.1 (WinNT) – that can only be one person I know ๐Ÿ˜‰

No prizes for guessing where this OPML is about to show up ? ๐Ÿ˜‰ Ahh – there it is!

http://sndirectory.worldoutline.com/Gnomedexers/

Break out your clackers!! Itโ€™s the World Cup podcasts

http://worldcup.podcast.com – podcasts on the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany

OPML iconHere's the OPML for this level, which will grow ๐Ÿ˜‰ Feed readers and 'Grazrs' enjoy!

I added the feed submission form last night on the podcast.com home page. Soon this will be folder specific – so people can submit feeds for any branch/folder level. Feeds that get added will be checked by our system first, then eventually added to an appropriate folder. Soon, users will be the ones who'll be able to do this too, thus 'curating' their own podcast directories.

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