RSS for The Rest of us
Really Simple Syndication [RSS] is everywhere online these days (the icon on the left is frequently used to symbolize the existence of an RSS feed on a website or blog). This post is for the uninitiated, for those of you who either do not know what RSS is or do not know how RSS can benefit you. Now, how to put it in simple terms . . .
Imagine wanting to get several newspapers to read each morning - you have two basic options, don’t you? You can either go to the local newspaper stand for the local paper, then make a trip to New York City to get the New York Times, then make yet another trip to get your next newspaper. Or, you can choose option two and set up a subscription for each of these newspapers and have someone else do all the work getting them to your doorstep [or to your ditch or in your bushes, as the case may be].
Well. This is how RSS works. You have two basic options for web content: 1) visit each and every site you want to keep up with everyday [not knowing whether there will be new content or not], or 2) use an RSS feed to direct any new content from those websites to a single RSS reader. That’s it, really - everything else is details.
Here are some of those details: There are many RSS readers available today - some of them stand-alone programs, some of them making use of your browser’s display - too many for me to cover here, really. I’m just going to suggest one, as it is the one I am currently using. That is, Google Reader. Google Reader is fairly straightforward, has advanced features like the ability to share your feeds with others, and like so many of Google’s products is constantly being updated and improved. If you already have a Gmail account, you can start using it right away, otherwise, just create an account and “get after it”.
I’d be interested in what RSS feeds you follow - I’ll post some of my favorites in the comments.