Ever seen this orange icon on web sites and wondered what it means?
This icon enables your favorite web sites to notify you automatically whenever new content is added. The technical term for this process is RSS.
What is RSS?
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. Let’s imagine you visit 10 web sites on a regular basis to see if new content has been added. Visiting each of these web sites can be time consuming.
Wouldn’t it be better if these web sites could automatically notify you when fresh content has been added. This fresh content is known as a feed.
How to use a Feed
A feed’s content is read using a feed reader. These feed readers will do the time consuming work of checking all your favorite web sites for fresh content. Some of the more popular feed readers are Google Reader, Bloglines and Rojo.
If you’ve never used a feed reader before then Google Reader is a good place to start. It is free to use. Visit their web site and sign up. Once you’ve signed up you can start subscribing to feeds.
To subscribe to a feed you simply visit any web site, look for an orange icon and click on it. Here is my feed icon.
Try clicking on this icon if you like. A new screen will appear where you can subscribe to my feed. On this screen you select your favorite feed reader, like the ones I mentioned earlier.
Once subscribed to a feed, just sit back and wait for your feed reader to notify you of fresh content. You can either read this new content inside the feed reader, or you can click through to the web site and read the article there.
Other Feed Options
If this sounds too complicated, then you can subscribe to a feed by email instead. Whenever fresh content is added to this web site an email is delivered direct to your inbox.
Try subscribing to this web site by email if you want to give it a go. Enter your email address in the form below and click subscribe. Any new articles added to this web site will automatically be emailed to you. Your privacy is guaranteed, 100% SPAM free, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Summary
That rounds up my beginners guide to RSS. I hope it makes things clearer. Any questions then use the comments form at the bottom of this page or visit my Contact Me page.
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1 response so far ↓
1 Tech Messages | 2007-08-03 | Slaptijack // Aug 4, 2007 at 3:30 am
[...] Beginners Guide To RSS – This is a nice guide to RSS for the uninitiated. [...]
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