RSS readers or Emails?
As you well know that you can sign up to RSS feeds and be informed with the latest posts from your favourite sites or blogs.
As you can see, with my blog, you can sign up using normal RSS feeds or you can Sign up to my latest posts via emails.
So whats the difference?
With normal RSS feeds, you will need a RSS reader.
Such AS:
- Google Reader
- Google Desktop
-
FeedDemon
-
SharpReader
You will have to download and install all these applications. The good thing about this: the Reader gets updated as soon as the new info is posted. with these readers, you can have it on your desktop, sothat you can always see it. That way, you will be one of the first people to read about whatever was posted.
I personally prefer getting updated with emails.
when it comes via emails, I get emailed once a day, early in the morning with the latest posts for the previous day. That way, I can sit down and take my time reading it. If I have time at lunch time, I will sit and go through all of them.
My one friend preffers the RSS readers. He uses Google Desktop. He likes it because he can see the new posts real time.
So its all really up to the person. If you like The RSS readers, then go for it. If you like the Emails, use them.
I reccomend you test out both of them and see what works for you.
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.
