What Is RSS Feed?
What is RSS Feed? Briefly, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and it is a way of transmitting or syndicating the content of one website to many other websites (subscribers) all over the internet. It is something that can keep you up to date with the information that is appearing on websites that you frequently visit or websites that are your favorite, by sending you a live feed. RSS utilizes an XML code which continually scans the content of a certain website in search for new information, then transmits the information updates by feeding the information to subscribers.
RSS feeds are generally utilized in blogs or news sites, though any website wanting to broadcast and publish information can use them. They can equally be used to add RSS feed to static websites. When new information is sent, it will contain a headline and a short extract or summary of the news or story. There is a link that you can click to read more.
In order to accept RSS feeds, a feed reader is needed, also called an aggregator. Aggregators are widely and freely available online, and with a little searching, you will easily find an interface that will suit you. As well as receiving RSS onto your blog, RSS feeds can also be read and retrieved from cell phones and on PDAs.
When you find a website that you want to add to your feed reader, the process can be done in two ways. Almost all sites offering an RSS feed will display an “RSS” or “XML” button in their homepage. You can see the large orange button at the top of this site – that is the RSS icon. With one click on that, you can add the feed from this blog to your RSS feed reader. There are just a few aggregators that require you to copy and then paste the URL of the feed unto the program.
Whatever the method used, the feed will be accessible soon as you have added it, and the next update may arrive in seconds, especially if it is from a news site with very frequent updates. In the event that you do not want to subscribe to the feed of a particular site any more, you can simply delete the feed from your aggregator.
You are probably used to receiving newsletters through e-mail subscriptions. RSS feeds can be even more convenient in keeping up with newsletter updates since they are prompt and available instantly; you no longer have to wait for a scheduled time or day to obtain a news summary. What’s more, you can be sure of the news reaching you. It will never be held up in a spam filter.
RSS feeds are widely used every day by people who need access to information quickly. Another benefit is that by having an extract or summary, you can quickly select the items that interest you and click on those to read more.
If you have a blog yourself, you should consider making your feed available. In WordPress you can easily add a button to your site using a plugin. This means that your subscribers can keep up to date with your new posts and you will have more visitors to your blog because they will be reminded of your blog’s existence and the interesting news on it, every time they receive an update – that is, usually, every time you post.
What format to choose?
Syndication is very confusing as it uses several different formats in different sites on the internet. However, as a subscriber, you do not generally have to worry about this. Most times, syndicated libraries are used by aggregators to standardize all formats so that you can subscribe to any feeds you choose with one feed reader.
If you have a choice for your own site or blog, it is just a matter of personal preference. RSS 1.0 is far reaching and practical for integration into Semantic Web systems. RSS 2.0 is very easy and simple to create by hand. Atom is an IETF Standard, well stable and bringing a natural and accepted community to support its usage. But generally you will not need to be concerned with the different formats.
I hope this article has helped you understand what is RSS feed. Now it’s time to start using it!
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