RSS Feeds Coming Soon….
WHAT IS RSS?
The Internet is a great tool for locating information, but there is only so much content a person can possibly process in one sitting.
On the other hand, it’s a lot to ask of a user to keep returning to Web site after Web site just to see if the content has been updated.
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) eliminates the challenge and time consuming nature of searching favorite Web sites for new information.
By using RSS, Internet users can have notifications of the latest headlines, sales announcements, articles, pictures, and even audio or video files delivered to their computer without having to tediously access and read and re-read Web page after Web page.
RSS allows users to be quickly and easily notified of updates to their favorite Web sites in a well-organized and very distinct email. This e-mail is sent as soon as new content is published on those sites — enables users to stay informed, without having to remember to visit each site every day.
HOW IT WORKS
A Web site’s author maintains a list of notifications in a standard way. This list of notifications is called an “RSS Feed”.
Producing an RSS feed is very simple and thousands of Web sites, such as major news organizations or weblogs, provide this feature. Users interested in finding out the latest headlines or changes can access this list for new content.
However, special computer programs called “RSS aggregators” have been developed that automatically access the RSS feeds of Web sites on an ongoing basis. They detect the additions, organize them for and present them in a compact and useful manner – typically via e-mail.
If the title and description of an item are of interest to a user, the link can be used to quickly bring the related web page up for reading.
GETTING STARTED
To take advantage of RSS, the user must obtain an RSS aggregator program. There are many different versions available, some of which use a web browser, while others are applications that must be downloaded.
Browser-based news readers let the user catch up with RSS feed subscriptions from any computer. Downloaded applications enable the user to store them on a main computer.
Once a user knows the URL of a Web site’s RSS feed, they can provide that address to their RSS aggregator program and have the aggregator start monitoring the feed. Many RSS aggregators come preconfigured with a list of the RSS feed URLs for popular news Web sites.
In addition, many Web sites indicate the existence of an RSS feed on the home page or main news page with a link, or by displaying an orange button with the letters “XML” or “RSS.” RSS feeds are also often times found with a “Syndicate This” link.
Without question, the Internet is an indispensable tool for quickly finding information. However, RSS has become a critical component to synthesizing and organizing that information for an every greater Web experience.
