What is RSS?
What does RSS stand for?
RSS is an acronym standing for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. RSS files (also called RSS feeds or channels) simply contain a list of items including a title, summary, and a link to a URL web page.
How does RSS work?
RSS enables users to receive updates on the web content they
desire in a consolidated location via a news aggregator, a piece of
software freely available via the web.
In other words, the news comes to you, rather than you having to go to the news. This saves a tremendous amount of time. Or conversely, you can read many more feeds in the same amount of time.
Why use RSS feeds and news aggregators?
With RSS, users NO LONGER have to visit favorite, individual
websites repeatedly to receive the latest news updates; headlines
and press releases, job listings, conference calendars and rankings
; press releases and announcements. You are notified when any of
the websites you subscribe to are updated within minutes. You
don't have to be an experienced techie to set-it-up. Just follow
the simple directions below.
What is a news aggregator?
Freely downloadable software that runs on your own computer and
may be a standalone program or integrate into a program that you
already use, such as Microsoft
Outlook and the Mozilla
browser. Most (but certainly not all) RSS aggregators use a
three-panel layout you may already be familiar with this as it is
used by other programs such as Microsoft Outlook. A panel on the
left shows the RSS feeds that you have subscribed to, one on the
top shows all the items for that feed, and one at the bottom shows
the description and/or linked page for the selected item.
To start receiving RSS feeds:
- Download and install a RSS newsreader or aggregator. (For a list, see RSS Info or a choose from the following include Headline News, Feedreader, NewzCrawlerPluck.com, NewsGator, Bloglines)
- Now that a news aggregator has been downloaded and installed,
news feeds need to be placed inside. You may have seen sites with
or RSS placed
inconspicuously on the page. This means that this site is set up
with RSS feed capabilities and can be placed in an aggregator for
viewing and constant updating. - Right click on the icon, select "copy shortcut or copy link location" and paste it into the aggregator (or locate the tool bar that allows you to add new feeds). You have now subscribed to the feed for this site. Once a new item appears in any of the sites that are "subscribed to", the new information will pop up on the desktop, alerting you of the new post.
To subscribe to RSS feeds:
- Make sure you have downloaded an RSS news aggregator
- Right click on the
- Paste the copy in your news aggregator
More Articles about RSS
- Darwinmag.com - What is RSS?
- Lockergnome.com - RSS Quickstart Guide - Get a grip on RSS in 3 easy steps!
- Forbes.com - The Coming RSS Revolution
