What is RSS?
Learning Outcomes
1. Define RSS.
2. Define the terms: newsreader, news aggregator, feedreader, syndication.
4. Subscribe and use a newsreader.
5. Find RSS feeds using a search engine.
6. Subscribe to several RSS feeds within a newsreader.
7. Understand the advantages to using RSS technology.
8. Create an RSS feed for your own website or blog.
9. Create an RSS feed button/icon for your own website or blog.
A definition of RSS
RSS is the acronym for several things:
Rich Site Summary
Real Simple Syndication
RDF Site Summary
In a nutshell, RSS is the syndicated content from a web site. It can consist of both the direct content itself, as well as the metadata (or, information about the information -- much like a library catalog record!).
RSS uses a programming language called XML (EXtensible Markup Language) to create a text file which syndicates the contents of a website in a form which can by read by a computer. Then, the feed is inputted into another computer software, (in this case, what we call a newsreader, news aggregator or feedreader) and then translated for output into a form which we can read. RSS includes headlines, summaries, abstracts -- any updates which have been currently made to a website or blog. Think of RSS as a news wire service that a website creates to get content to readers.
Subscribing to RSS Feeds
1. By clicking the RSS feed button or link located on a website or blog, you will get either an RSS feed hyperlink or a piece of XML text which needs to be translated by a newsreader before you can read it.
Many RSS feed icons look like the following:
2. Users then need to set up an account with a newsreader (also called a news aggregator or feedreader). See the left sidebar for some suggested newsreaders. Newsreaders are available three different ways:
Web-based
Desktop standalone applications (software to install on your desktop)
Plug-ins for your internet browser
3. The user then takes the RSS or XML feed hyperlink and copies it into the newsreader. A newsreader then translates the XML code in the RSS feed and presents it to the user in a readable format.
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RSS Advantages
1. Visitors can access multiple sites without visiting each one.
2. Subscribe to the RSS feeds of the websites you like and the content comes to you.
3. Use a news aggregator to read the headlines and contents of websites in one place.
4. Do not need to give out your email address to websites to get updates sent to you.
5. Keeps readers current.
6. For the website or blog owner, it can mean more traffic to their site.
7. Keep track of the most current blogs, since most newsreaders can be sorted by date.
8. Websites normally read by only a handful of people can now be literally distributed to millions of readers through RSS.
9. Your news and headlines can be distributed and read on other websites.
10. Multiple points of entry are created to your article, headlines, or web content.
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Kate Pitcher
