More than likely you have seen these strange looking orange buttons on countless websites and
wondered what the heck they were used for? These buttons link to an RSS file that syndicates and
updates content on websites. Applications use these files to notifly you when new content is
created or updated.
What is RSS?
RSS is a syndication standard that websites use to syndicate their content. The original acronym
stood for 'Rich Site Summary'. However, that meaning has now been replaced by the major benefit
of RSS which is 'Really Simple Syndication'. Most people today refer to RSS by this meaning.
RSS is just basic hypertext code like xml or html. It was first introduced by Dave Winer from
www.userland.com and the Scripting News.
RSS Feeds were first used mainly by news organizations to syndicate their content. Nowadays,
RSS is usually associated with blogs or blogging because Blogs use RSS Feeds to mass circulate
their content. Usually, an RSS Feed will consist of Headlines and Snippets of information with
links linking back to a blog or website. Some RSS Feeds contain the full body of content.
Once you are subscribed to an RSS Feed, you will be automatically updated as new information
comes online. It's a very practical and convenient way to stay informed on all your different
areas of interest.
How Do I Use RSS?
In order to access an RSS Feed you will need an RSS Feed reader or aggregator. Some common ones
are Feedemon, Newsgator...
Another popular way to access and read RSS Feeds is through sites like MyYahoo or MyMSN. Just
press the MyYahoo button and you will be automatically subscribed to that site.
Some browsers now come with an RSS feature or function - such as the increasingly popular Mozilla
Firefox Browser. It has a 'live bookmark' feature that will keep you up to date on all your bookmarked sites.
More Information On RSS...
To get more information you can click here: RSS Tutorial or you can download this
simple RSS and Blog Guide.
In addition, Ken Evoy of SiteBuildIt fame, has written an excellent guide to RSS - you can find it
Here.
