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What is RSS?
Why would ordinary web users like RSS?
What do I need to receive RSS feeds?
Depending
on who you ask, RSS stands for either "Rich Site
Summary" or "Really Simple Syndication." But no
matter what it's called, RSS is a new way to publish
information online.
At the
heart of the technology is special Web coding,
called XML, that has been widely developed by the
global online community over the past few years.
The XML
code for RSS describes a new type of Web information
called a "news feed." Essentially, the feeds can
contain a summary and links of the new content on a
Web site or anything else a creator desires to
share. A company may publish an RSS feed that
contains news of its latest products, for example.
Anyone —
an online surfer or another Web site — can pick up
the RSS codes and with the appropriate Web software
display the information automatically.
The
concept is similar to how a newswire service
operates: Information published by one news
organization can be "syndicated" — picked up and
displayed — by any other news organization.
Why Would Ordinary Web Users
Like RSS?
For Web
surfers, the advantages of RSS are quite simple:
They save time and bandwidth.
Instead of
remembering to visit a favorite Web site, the news
comes directly into your computer daily or at
whatever interval you want.
What's
more, most RSS feeds contain just links, headlines,
or brief synopsis of new information only. That
means the small amount of Web data can be sent to
any XML-compatible device — a cell phone, pager, or
handheld computer — without a lengthy download
process.
More
importantly, RSS gives you control over receiving
information you want without revealing information
about yourself. Unlike subscribing to an e-mail
newsletter, you never have to give out your e-mail
address with an RSS feed. That avoids the
possibility of receiving spam or unwanted junk
e-mail from the Web site.
What Do I Need to Receive
RSS Feeds?
First, you
need a so-called feed reader. Performing a search
for "RSS Feed Readers" in any major online search
engine such as Google.com or Yahoo! will produce a
slew of software options — many of which are free or
at little cost.
Once
you've obtained a feed reader, subscribing to an RSS
feed is as simple as looking for the appropriate XML
code. Most Web sites that publish an RSS feed will
display a tiny orange box or button labeled "RSS" or
"XML."
Click the
button and your Web browser typically goes to a page
of cryptic code. Just copy the Web "address" or URL
of that page and plug it into your feed reader. The
software will then automatically access and display
that site's latest information.