Another option, instead of receiving E-Mail alerts using the "Watch" feature, is to set up RSS (Really Simple Syndication) Feeds for particular spaces of interest. For many advanced users, RSS is a cleaner way to stay abreast of changes to a Wiki environment. In this mini-tutorial, we will be using what Confluence calls the "RSS Feed Builder."
It is beyond the scope of this tutorial to discuss various RSS Readers and their capabilities/limitations; however, it is IMPORTANT to note that Confluence RSS Feeds require authentication (Username/Password), so you may need to enter your Confluence Wiki credentials into your RSS Reader. In Microsoft Outlook, that is handled under Advanced RSS options. Some RSS Readers do not support authentication (e.g., Google Reader), so please be sure to verify that capability before proceeding. For additional information about RSS, see this Wikipedia page.
Step 1: Click on the orange RSS Feed Builder icon at the top right of any ICANN Wiki page.
This might be a good time to explain that you cannot do any damage here because every RSS feed is built from scratch and no outputs are permanently saved in the Wiki database. Basically, these procedures cause a command sequence to be generated that you will copy and paste in your preferred RSS reader (e.g., Outlook). Once that RSS Feed request is sent by your reader and received by Confluence, the Wiki simply executes the instructions "on the fly." In essence, it is like a client request to a server, i.e., "Please generate my custom RSS Feed now." After experimenting with the feed results, if you want to change any of the parameters selected (Steps 2-3 below) or, for any other reason, stop the presses, simply delete the feed inside your RSS reader. There is nothing to delete or remove or edit in the Wiki space.If you want to rebuild a feed(s) with different parameter settings, come back to the RSS Feed Builder and repeat the sequence.
Step 2: Complete the information as illustrated in the image below. In this case, "Mails" has been deselected (not configured for this Wiki space) and also "Attachments." In the <From Spaces> section, "Open Forums" and "Topic Registration" were selected (use CTRL to highlight more than one).
You can create separate RSS Feeds for different Wiki Spaces and organize them however you prefer inside your RSS Reader.
Step 3: OPTIONAL <Advanced Options> (Note: snipped from the above image). If these extra features do not apply, feel free to skip and go to Step 4. In this example, the default <Feed Name> was retained, but you are free to name it however you prefer. Also, the <Limit to> was changed from 10 to 20 items. In the <Include For Pages> section, you can ask for the entire "Content" or just the "Changes" or, as shown below, both.
A word about the field <With these labels>... If you use labels (a.k.a. tags) on your Wiki pages and are consistent in their usage, you could insert those terms here and that will limit the RSS Feed to pages containing those tags. For example, if one used the label "atrt" on certain Wiki pages, that term could be inserted in this box and Confluence would generate updates for pages containing only that label. For this example, <With these labels> was left blank, which means that all Page, Blog Post, and Comment updates to the Open Forums and Topic Registration spaces will be included.
Step 4: Click on the <Create RSS Feed> button shown in the image above. You will see the following image in a new screen. (Note: The <Feed Details> reflects the options selected. The Space names will look a little different because the RSS Builder has switched to using the system spacekey vs. the display name.)
Step 5: If you right-click on the "Atom Feed" rectangle (see top of the above image), you can copy the entire link (it is LONG) and paste or drag it to your RSS Reader application.
Hopefully, if all went well and your RSS Reader supports authentication with a remote feed source, you should start seeing updates in your application!
