Google News Adds RSS

Google armed its Google News site with the ability to deliver content via either RSS or Atom.

Google execs called support for RSS and Atom the single more requested feature by users, in a story by the IDG News Service.

This new capability will let site visitors establish feeds either for specific Google News sections, such as Sci/Tech, or for specified search terms, such as Linux or databases. Also, users will be able to set up feeds for sections they customize on Google News.

The move is widely seen as a reaction to Yahoo News incorporating content syndication; the company also extended feeds to mobile phones in March.

Dave Winer yesterday explained why he is "not giddy with delight" over Google News supporting RSS.

It wasn't so easy to find someone celebrating Google's RSS support, though I'm certain they are out there.

Posted by Tom Sullivan at August 10, 2005 07:41 AM

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Google Adds Wildcard Searches
By Nate Mook, BetaNews
August 10, 2005, 11:28 AM

Web searches are one of the most effective ways to learn more about a topic, but finding the answer to a specific question is not as easy on the Web. To that end, Google has enabled its search engine to "fill in the blank," meaning a statement can be written with an asterisk substituting the missing fact.

"So instead of asking [who invented the parachute?], you can enter the query [the parachute was invented by *]," explains Google Research Scientist Hiyan Alshawi. "There is so much text on the web that this method often works well, but to make it more effective, we've improved the way results are found in response to queries containing such blanks."

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