RSS, Web Content at a Glance
RSS Feeds Explained:
As we evolve how we communicate the one thing you will notice is the
wealth of immediate information at your fingertips that the internet
has provided. An RSS feed is a tool that can help you decipher through
all of the noise and get the information you want instantly and
quickly.
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS repackages new content
from your favorite Web sites and blogs, into a feed that contains
information such as a date, a title, a link, and a brief description.
An RSS reader then interprets this feed so that the end user need only
read the description and link to the Web site or blog to be able to be
able to follow new updates to the content of that site. RSS feeds make
content delivery simple and easy for you, the end user.
One of the main focuses of a website is to provide content and
information to its readers. The RSS feed set up by the owners of the
website is just another means of delivery for the authors of this
content. Nearly every Website that you will come across today has a
little orange icon, which is the universal sign of an RSS feed, on
their Website.
A few analogies you may come across in describing an RSS, is that it is
like a stock ticker scrolling content across your screen or having a
newspaper delivered to your door instead of picking it up yourself out
the store.
Options for receiving RSS feeds:
The newsreader is what collects the newsfeed and drives it to your
desktop, the cattle herder of the information stampede, if you will.
An easy way is in your internet browser, Internet Explorer, Safari,
Firefox, etc all have a built RSS newsreader in them (depending on your
version).
If you have a Yahoo, MSN, or Google account you can also find widgets
to add your homepage for that account. Apple’s Mail program
has a built in RSS reader right there in the application so you can
check your mail and feeds in the same application.
There are also many desktop newsreaders that you can add that do not
require an open browser, such as the NetNewsWire for the Mac.
If you do not have a newsreader built into a web tool or application
that you use now on a daily basis, just do a search for “RSS
Newsreader” and you should be able to find something that
fits your needs. But check what you use first and I guarantee you will
say to yourself, hey I never noticed that I could do that before.
Once you have your newsreader it is time to feed it. Find your favorite
site, for example, www.guitaradoptions.com and look for that little
orange icon.
On our page you will notice it in the bottom right hand corner. Found
it? Good, now click on the icon and you will see it send straight into
your newsreader. Now that was painless was it not? Now anytime you want
an instant update on the information of your favorite site, it will be
there waiting for you at the click of a button.
Top Reasons to RSS:
1. Content updates and news updates from
your favorite blogs and news sites.
2. Inventory updates from your favorite
retailer.
3. Content from multiple Websites
delivered through one application to be reviewed by you at your leisure
without having to surf the Internet.
4. Instant and real time updates.
5. Newest information displayed first in
your reader, you won’t need to search your favorite sites for
new content.
6. IT’S FREE!
You can unsubscribe to an RSS feed at anytime by simply deleting it
from your RSS reader. Give it a try for a week or two, and if you like
the experience you simply leave the feed in your reader.
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What is RSS?
