What is RSS?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It's a format that web sites and blogs can use to send updated headlines to you. Syndication means you don't have to visit each site individually to see what's new -- you simply scan headlines or brief article summaries and click to read the full text. That's the "really simple" part. And it's "really simple" for publishers to make their content accessible this way too.
Because RSS is a relatively new format, not all sites currently syndicate their content in this way. However, many notable sites already do offer RSS, and every day the RSS offering grows. For example, news sites such as the Christian Science Monitor, the BBC, New York Times and CNet's News.com use RSS to syndicate news headlines and summaries. Other sites use RSS to alert customers of new products or upcoming events.
What are the benefits of using an RSS Newsreader?
There are many benefits to accessing headlines and information this way:
- Efficiency -- timely news and information is automatically there when you need it;
- Breadth -- headlines from the web sources you care about are consolidated;
- Organization -- sources can be displayed in order of importance with the latest news on top;
- Productivity -- email newsletter subscriptions and unruly bookmarks can lead to clutter and information overload.
How do I learn more about RSS?
There's lots of information on the Web about RSS. Depending on what you're looking for, try starting here:
- For non-technical people new to RSS, check out:
http://www.faganfinder.com/search/rss.shtml - For experienced Internet users, check out the resources here:
http://rss.lockergnome.com/resources/articles/quickstart.phtml - For the web developer crowd, check out:
http://www.oreillynet.com/rss/ - For a more technical introduction, check out:
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/dive-into-xml.html