RSS feeds, how they work
RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a “feed” or “web feed” or “channel”) contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that can be piped into special programs or filtered displays.
The benefit of RSS is the aggregation of content from multiple Web sources in one place. RSS content can be read using software called an “RSS reader”, “feed reader” or an “aggregator”, which can be web-based or desktop-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed’s link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user’s subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.
Ok, So what does RSS stand for? Really Simple Syndication. Simple.
It is getting more and more common for websites to have RSS feeds. They usually indicate the existence of the feed on the home page or main news page with a link to “RSS”. Text “RSS” links sometimes (there are lots of variations) point to a web page explaining the nature of the RSS feeds provided and how to find them. The buttons are often linked directly to the RSS feed file itself. These will direct you either to another website with those feeds on them, such Feedburner, or it will redirect you to another part of the site where the RSS feeds are stored.
You will also find some Sites that have buttons on them. here are some examples:
*RSS icons Could look like anything. They are Different. But the Second one is the “Real” original Icon.
Once you know the URL of an RSS feed, you can provide that address to an RSS aggregator program and have the aggregator monitors the feed for you. Many RSS aggregators come preconfigured with a list to choose from of RSS feed URLs for popular news websites.
I find RSS feeds to help me alot, it saves me from having to go to the websites to read the whole story. If it’s interesting, I go and visit. What is also nice, is that with RSS feeds you get a link straight to the post. So you don’t have to go and do a search for it either.
