Thursday, September 18, 2008

Dapperfox (RSSify any website!)

Dapperfox is a Firefox extension that enables you to create an RSS feed from any consistently formatted webpage. For example, I've created a feed for Marylaine Block's always interesting and useful "Neat New Stuff on the Net" column, which used to be distributed via email but no longer is. (I find that retrieving requires more effort than receiving, and too often, when things stop coming to to me, I don't start going them. Oh, and don't forget, you can subscribe to Knowbodies via RSS and/or email!) You'll find the Neat New Stuff feed - along with lots of other interesting feeds - in the awesome Knowbodies Library and Technology Pageflake. Dapperfox can also create nifty widgets for you, like the one below (also from Neat New Stuff), that you can stick anywhere you like. I had some trouble logging into Dapperfox, and am pleased to mention that the support folks there were extremely responsive to my several emails and quickly resolved the problem.

 Add to your site powered by Dapper 

2 comments:

  1. I prefer using a Web-based RSS Feed Reader. Any way to create Feeds for that?
    I know there are utilities that create Feeds based on searches. Would that be the same thing?

    Greetings from Germany,
    Ute

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  2. Hi Ute...no, not exactly the same as utilities that create Feeds from searches (e.g. Google News, and Feedmysearch - another one, Evil Rss, seems not be around any more)
    Dapperfox scans an html page, and identifies formatting traits that can function as the title, link, and description fields that comprise an rss feed. Naturally, only a page that is regularly updated and follows a consistent format would lend itself to "rssification" (and most of those pages would be blogs, which automatically generate rss feeds...but there are exceptions, like Marylaine Block's NeatNewStuff)

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