PRX 1.0 Specification - An RSS Extension

 

 

What is PRX?

 

PRX stands for Portable Release XML*.  It helps authors of press releases provide re-mixable content to online sources in a standard way.  The format allows service vendors and individuals to automate release distribution, saving time for both authors and distributors.

 

PRX is designed for simplicity.  Where possible, established standards have been used.  However, when standards introduce unnecessary complexity, a simpler format is utilized.

 

PRX is a dialect of XML.  All PRX files must conform to the XML 1.0 specification, as published on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website.

 

PRX elements were modeled from the Social Medial Press Release Template, created by Todd Defren of SHIFT Communications.

 

At the top level of a PRX document is a <prx> element, with a mandatory attribute called version. The version attribute specifies the version of PRX that the document conforms to. If it conforms to THIS specification, the version attribute must be 1.0.

 

RSS is an excellent way to distribute PRX data.  An RSS <item> can include a PRX payload.  The format for this payload will be discussed later.  Use the following namespace to include a PRX module within an RSS <item>.

               

                http://purl.org/prx/1.0/

 

 

* The PRX acronym contains the XML acronym; making PRX a macronym.

Why Use PRX?

 

A lot of hard work goes into creating a well-written press release, and this work should only need to be completed once.  However, when a release must be distributed via multiple channels, there is often a lot of retyping, cutting-and-pasting, and re-selecting to rework the release for each distribution point.  Not only is this a huge waste of time, it can result in mistakes and omissions.  PRX is designed to solve this issue by presenting a re-mixable, open standard for press release distribution.

 

PRX is based on established XML standards.  Where possible, existing XML namespaces have been employed.  This standards-based approach makes it easier to adopt PRX and implement its elements.

 

The high-level approach for PRX distribution is as follows:

  

1.  Write the release once and post it to the internet in a PRX file.
2.  Provide distribution points (e.g. wire services, mailing lists, bloggers, and web masters) with a link to the PRX file.
3.  Each distribution point will import the release information from the PRX file, mixing the content to match their distribution format.

 

 

Sample Files

 

                PRX Sample

               

                HTML Sample

 

                RSS Sample – Shows how to include a PRX file within an RSS <item>.

               

 

 

PRX Sub-elements

 

Subordinate to the <prx> element is the following list of sub-elements. Required elements are noted with an asterisk.

 

 

 

 

<contact> sub-element of <contacts>

 

Most sub-elements of the <contact> element are based on the vCard XML specification. Additional details regarding these elements can be found in the following W3C Note:

 

            Representing vCard Objects in RDF/XML - http://www.w3.org/TR/vcard-rdf

 

 

<contact> elements include the following namespace declaration:

 

            xmlns:vCard="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#"

 

 

 

 

 

<dates>

The <dates> element is optional.  Sub-elements of the <dates> element  define timespans or milestones in the lifespan of a release.  All sub-elements are optional.

                <newslines>

 

The <newslines> element is required and contains the following sub-elements.   Elements with asterisks are required.

 

 

<categories>

 

Sub-elements of the <categories> element help service providers and readers categorize and filter a press release. Each sub-element may be included multiple times. Sub-elements have one optional attribute, domain, a string that identifies a categorization taxonomy. 

 

 

 

<links>, <multimedia>, and <services>

 

All three of these elements rely on the Yahoo Media RSS Module namespace.

 

The full list of elements and their definitions can be found at the following URL:

 

            http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/

 

The following namespace declarations are used with each element, respectively:

 

xmlns:link=”http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/”

xmlns:media=”http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/”

xmlns:service=”http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/”

 

Links and Media are both types of media that are differentiated by how they are accessed.   The simplest example would be a GIF image. A GIF file defined through a <link:content> element will display as a hyperlink on the release page. The same GIF defined through the <media:content> element would be displayed as an image on the page.  As another example, using the <media:content> element, an audio file may be streamed directly through the release HTML page, but a <link:content> element for the same file would only display a link to the audio file. While a <link:content> element should follow the standard for displaying hyperlinks, the <media:content> elements may be displayed differently depending on the layout of the HTML page and the capabilities of the site that serves it.

 

Most services, including Technorati Tags or the “Digg It” option from Digg, can be represented as a URL. The <service:content> element is used to identify the URL of the service and supply additional elements to enable the service. For example, a Technorati Tag is defined using the url attribute of <service:content>and the tag text is placed in the <service:title> element. 

 

 

 

 

 

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

 

PRX was designed to be distributed through RSS feeds.  One PRX module is allowed per RSS <item>.  If you include multiple <item> elements in your feed, each item can include its own PRX module.

 

These are the recommended steps for including your PRX release in an RSS feed:

 

1.       Add the PRX namespace declaration at the top of your feed.  A typical <rss> element that includes the PRX namespace declaration is shown below:

                        <rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"

xmlns:dc=”http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/”

xmlns:prx=”http://purl.org/prx/1.0/”>

 

2.       Within the RSS <item>, enter the title of your release in the <title> element.

3.       Optionally, you can place the official link to your HTML release in the <link> element.

4.       Place the contents of your PRX <body> element in the <description> element and/or <content:encoded> element.

5.       Copy the entire contents of your PRX release into the RSS <item> and prefix the <prx> elements with prx:.

 

                        Example:

 

            <item>

                        <title></title>

                        <description></description>

                        <prx:prx version="1.0" xmlns:vCard="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#"

                                        xmlns="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">

                                    …snipped…

                        </prx:prx>

            </item>

 

After following these steps, the PRX release will be embedded in the RSS feed.  Feed aggregators that are designed to recognize the PRX format will be able to parse the PRX elements from the RSS feed.

 

 

Domains

 

These lists are designed as a starting point for agreed upon values, however, they do not prevent you from creating your own values.  It will be easier for all users of the PRX format if you submit all new values to support@whitleymedia.com.  The values will be posted here so that all users can benefit from a standard value list.

 

 

<industry> sub-element of categories>

 

 

 

 

 

 

<type> sub-element of media:content>

 

 

 

 

 

<type> sub-element of <service:content>

 

 

 

Acknowledgements and Resources

 

Social Media Press Release Template, Todd Defren, http://www.shiftcomm.com/downloads/smprtemplate.pdf

 

This document borrows heavily from the RSS 2.0 Specification, Dave Winer, http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

 

The portable format is modeled after the Portable Application Description, http://www.asp-shareware.org/pad/

 

Representing vCard Objects in RDF/XML, Renato Iannella, http://www.w3.org/TR/vcard-rdf,

 

Yahoo Media RSS Module, David Hall et al., http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/

 

News Markup Language, International Press Telecommunications Council, http://www.newsml.org

 

 

Revision History

 

 

 

 

 

PRX Sample

 

 

 

 

 

HTML Sample

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License.