A friend just pinged me to ask about technical communication blogs, so I gave her some URLs. As we ended the conversation, she said, "Thanks! I've bookmarked them."

I was going to tell her about RSS feeds and aggregators, and then realized that she'd want to share the information with others...and that I knew several folks myself who could use the information. So rather than send one email, or record one (typed) conversation, I'm addressing it here.

Those of you who subscribe to my blog don't need this information...you're already keeping up in a virtual world ;-) But maybe you, too, know someone who might benefit.

Many blogs (and other sites) include RSS feed buttons (sometimes labelled "RSS", sometimes labelled "XML"). If you click the button, an XML file is displayed. Now, you could read the XML file...but while it's not all that difficult, it's also not something you want to do every day. You want to know when the XML file has changed.

For that, you use an RSS aggregator. The aggregator checks the sites that you are interested in, and lets you know if any of those sites have changed. (It's a lot easier to use the aggregator than to check numerous sites every so often to see if they've changed.)

Dozens of RSS aggregators exist, and most are free. You can use an RSS aggregator that integrates with a browser, or you can visit websites specifically designed to store your information, or you can install a local application. The choice is yours.

For example:

• Firefox includes "Live Bookmarks". If you visit a site that has RSS enabled, a small web feed icon is displayed to the far right of the address field. Click the icon to add the site to your live bookmarks.
• Bloglines is a website where you subscribe to blogs, email groups, and websites (after creating an account). You can blog, collect clippings from other blogs, and share your clippings. Everything is organized on a personal web page.
• The CITA RSS Aggregator is a Windows application that runs in the background. When any watched feeds are updated, a small window is displayed on the screen (you can choose to read the feed then, or tell it to snooze).

I use the CITA RSS Aggregator. I know, I know, it's installed locally, which means that I can't just use any computer to log in and see what's new. However, I never travel without my laptop...and even if it's not turned on, I rarely get the urge to go see which sites have been updated. It works for me, it's unobtrusive, and it lets me create categories for the different types of sites I watch (such as CSS, friends, Microsoft, News, and STC).

The other thing I live about the CITA RSS Aggregator is that I can monitor sites that require a login (such as the STC Forums). I can even post replies to the forum from the aggregator.

It's also easy to add a site feed to the aggregator. In the field above the right pane, type the URL of the site that you want to monitor. An orange bar is displayed across the top of the site if an RSS feed is available. Click the orange bar to add it, assign it to a category, and wait for those updates!

So if you haven't gotten on the RSS bandwagon yet, join us! Keep up with the latest news from the sites that you're interested in, and use the time that you previously spent surfing for other things.

I started reading Dick Francis' books years ago...I don't remember exactly which one I started with, but I know I own them all now :-) A former jockey (to the Queen Mother), Francis' books are always set around the world of horse racing.

On average, he wrote a book a year from 1962 to 2000 (see his Wikipedia entry for the list of books). But in 2000, his wife Mary died, and the books stopped. Mary Francis had been her husband's researcher and editor for years, and rumors were that there would be no new books.

Last week, as I wandered into a bookstore in Manchester, England, I saw a hardcover by Dick Francis called Under Orders. I was trying to remember if I had read it or not, thinking it might be a new re-release, when I noticed the tagline at the bottom of the cover: The Master is Back!

And back he is :-) I really enjoyed the story, which brings back Sid Halley (himself a former jockey that we've met three times before; this is unusual in itself because Francis rarely brings characters back).

Francis will turn 86 on 31 October 2006. I don't know how many more books there will be, but I was absolutely thrilled to run into my old friend last week.

In 2001, I developed the original Help Authoring Tool (HAT) Matrix, which compared popular tools such as AuthorIT, Doc-To-Help, ForeHelp, and RoboHELP. Over the next five years, more tools were added (and some were removed, for various reasons: companies went out of business, others were bought out and stopped development, etc.).

In early 2006, I released an upgraded and updated version of the matrix, expanding it from a nine-page PDF (with approximately one tool per page) to a more detailed comparison chart organized into categories and features. But after I released it, I received requests to add more tools (from both vendors and users). (Several people were unhappy that I refused to add RoboHelp back to the matrix. I know how unhappy they were, because I received lots of emails about it ;-). Just one last time: I don't think anyone looking for a new tool should consider RoboHelp right *now*. When (or if) Adobe releases a new version, I'll let you know what I think.)

However, the matrix was already pushing its limits, and the table couldn't get any wider without causing layout and printing problems. And then Matthew Ellison asked me to present the session Choosing a HAT at the European Online Help Conference.

Now I have given presentations on this subject before, and included information on the different features themselves. But this time, I reworked the presentation to include the process itself. And during discussions with my husband, Jim Freeman, we designed a new—and greatly improved—HAT Matrix.

Instead of a static chart, we would use a customized database for the tool information. By using a combination of PHP, JavaScript, and forms, visitors would be able to publish different reports that list the tools with the features that were most important to them. By using a database, more tools could be added. And all this information would be available, for free, to anyone who wanted to research the tools that best met their needs.

The result of that discussion is HAT-Matrix.com, which will be available on 1 October 2006 (it's currently in "stealth" mode ;-) ). The logo, the website, the database, and the reports are currently in varying stages of development. (The logo is closest to being finished, and will be visible on the new site shortly.)

Currently, three reports have been designed: any tools with specific features, all tools with specific features (which could be a blank report), and up to four tools side-by-side. Therefore, once you know which features are most important to you and your team/company, you could run the "all tools" report to see which tools include all those features. You could then run a report to see which tools have other features that you are interested in. And you could run a side-by-side report once you've narrowed your selection to four or fewer tools.

Both the "any tools" and "all tools" reports can be printed for future reference. They also include links to vendor and tool pages within HAT-Matrix.com. The side-by-side report includes links to the tool page on HAT-Matrix.com.

In addition, registered users will be able to post tool reviews and comments. And the site will include a list of links to articles about the different HATs (and probably to conceptual information, too). Consultants* and trainers* can add their information to the database so that visitors can find them at the same time they research the HATs. (However, resellers won't be listed anywhere...the vendors are responsible for that aspect.)

Updates will be announced in a blog, which will include RSS feeds for those who want to know about the most recent news. (This will be dependent on the information we receive.)

We've already contacted the vendors* on the current HAT Matrix, many of whom have said that they want their tools listed. We'll be contacting others in the future, and they are welcome to contact us, too. We'll announce which vendors are listed within the next couple of weeks, once the blog is ready.

With the new HAT Matrix, we hope you find the tool that best meets your needs.

*Disclaimer: fees required. Contact us for more information.