RSS for Dummies
RSS variously stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. Sounds like a load of warm fuzzy round spherical things? Sure, it does. If it did not, where would not be multiple definitions for the acronym. Anyway, the concept is indeed Really Simple, and all you need to know as a reader, is that it is a way for you to keep track of new content on numerous websites without having to go view each individual site.
The RSS news feed concept is very similar to the one of email newsletter. The major difference is delivery method: while email alerts are being “pushed” to your mailbox, the RSS content is being “pulled” by your RSS reader or “aggregator”. The “pull” method provides pretty elegant solution to fight spam, because there is no need to inform a publisher about your wish to cancel subscription. You simply instruct your RSS aggregator (it is either a program on your PC or web service) to stop polling the news feed. Needless to say, nobody can subscribe you to RSS feed without your concent. Furthermore, it is known that antispam filters often make it difficult for publishers to reach readers via e-mail. Using RSS channel solves this problem, as the RSS content delivery protocol does not rely on email at all.
In order to use RSS you need an RSS reader (like a browser for RSS) - or “aggregator” (because the software pulls together various feeds). You have many choices, but there are two primary categories of feed reading applications: installable desktop programs and online services.
Desktop software. Since RSS newsfeed is very much like email subscription, the most natural is to use single program to handle news and mail. The can read RSS feeds right out of the box. There are both commercial and open source plugins for Microsoft Outlook. (Outlook Edition) is probably the leading commercial product. You may also try free .
Most popular standalone desktop applications are (Windows) and (Mac OS X). A search for “RSS Reader” at popular search sites will yield many additional results.
Web services. If you would prefer to use an online service to track and manage your feeds, you have the advantage of being able to access your feed updates anywhere you use a web browser. Both and provide the RSS content capabilities. The provides broad range of services ranging from free subscription plans to feature packed enterprise servers.
Once you have your RSS reader set up, you’re ready to start subscribing.
The Opera and Firefox browsers automatically sense RSS feeds and show small notification icons. In Internet Explorer, though, you may have to manually find and paste the RSS URL into your RSS aggregator.
Many websites feature little orange buttons that say “XML” (RSS is a form of XML) or “RSS.” Click on those to find the URL. Other sites have aggregator-specific buttons. If you click on an “Add to Google” button, for instance, a browser window will open that will allow you to add the RSS to your Google homepage or Google Reader.
If you use My Yahoo, you may want to install the Yahoo toolbar, which gives you a one-click option to subscribe to RSS.
