RSS. It is an abbreviation which stands for Really Simple Syndication. It used to stand for Rich Site Summary, and that’s quite apt because that’s what it is, but it was changed. It is a summary, or full content in some cases, of specific dynamic web site content. It is special content because it delivered to directly to its subscribers via a web browser, task-specific software known as feed readers, or a web news aggregation service. This article will hopefully enlighten you on this topic.
Why RSS is Good
If you would like to stay up-to-date with the content on a site you might like, you can subscribe to its RSS feed. This is a, no-cost, simple affair, that will be explained. Once subscribed, within minutes of publishing content, you will be updated. How you are updated depends on the software or service, and in some cases that is manageable, but you will be made aware of it or the information will be accessible to you, without you having to actually go to the site.
What you will get depends on the site and may depend on your software or the service you use to access the feed. What we offer in our RSS feed is a linked heading, image (if offered), and our excerpt. The excerpt is what you’ll see on our home page and usually consists of the first paragraph. What you get from of it, though, will depend on the software or service.
Having near-instant content delivered to you in real-time may be beneficial if you see value in this sort of thing. It’s subjective, but it is very easy to do, in many cases as easy bookmarking a favorite site, and it’s free.
How RSS Works
This is sort of technical, but there is a way of formatting content using what’s known as an extensible markup language (XML). This type of formatting is the basis of RSS. Think of RSS as a version of XML. RSS is usually generated automatically by the author’s website management software. When the author publishes content for public consumption, this content and the HTML used with it is reformatted into this other language. This other language, this RSS XML, is very useful. Not to us directly, but it is useful to the software or services we use because it is machine readable/comprehensible.
RSS-equipped Browsers
Some web browsers are equipped with tools to subscribe to and manage RSS feeds. What follows is an introduction to some of these. In all cases, the first step will be to find the feed link or URL for the site you want to subscribe to and access it. For example, our link is on our sidebar. Also, on enabled pages, you will also see the orange and white RSS icon on your browser’s tool bar or address bar.
Internet Explorer 7+
This browser was mentioned first because it is the one that’s most widely used. If you have Internet Explorer 6 (or older), you will need to upgrade to version 7 (or later). To see what version you have click Help then About Internet Explorer. To subscribe, follow these steps:
- On the feed page, you should see a link to Subscribe to this feed. If you can see the feed, such as when it’s process through Feedburner as it is here, you will have to access the feed as XML, and which point you will see the subscribe link.
- Once you click the link, you will be able to name and organize the feed’s bookmark. Once done, click Subscribe.
To access and use the feed, do this:
- Click on the Favorites star and select the tab for Feeds, assuming you bookmarked the feed in that location.
- You will see the feed name (or the one you gave it) on the feeds list, select it by clicking on it.
- The pane on the right will provide the headings, images, excerpts, and a host of other available related data such as sorting and categories.
Internet Explorer 7 is much better than IE 6, but the next browser mentioned blows them both away. Since you can run it concurrently and it’s free, you should get it. Keep reading for more info.
Firefox 2+
This is our favorite browser. Firefox is what we use. It’s safer, faster, performs much more smoothly, and doesn’t freeze up and shut down. Moreover it’s loaded with great features like spell check, myriad add-ons, and a super simple RSS feeds management feature called Live Bookmarks. It works like this, to subscribe:
- Quite simply click on the icon on the address bar to Add to Live Bookmarks (or the service of your choice) or access the Feed page. You may also use the link provided.
- If adding to your Live Bookmarks click Subscribe Now, else first choose your preferred service from the menu.
- Add it to your Live Bookmarks folder (it may be called something else), or whatever folder you like.
Now, to use the bookmarks:
- On the browser go to Bookmarks then Live Bookmarks (or the appropriate folder).
- You will see the site name expanded to post titles only, click on them to access the post on the site in question.
- To organize this type of bookmark, it must be done under Bookmarks then Organize Bookmarks.
While running Internet Explorer and Firefox, you can also run the browser discussed next. It, too, is free. It’s an interesting browser, one some people love while others hate it. You decide, but keep reading.
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