“What’s This?”: RSS
You may have noticed these days a lot of web sites are sporting this “sexy little orange icon” usually found in the address bar at the top of your browser. Good looks aside, this icon has lead to revolution of how content is viewed and distributed on the web. This icon is for the Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feed available on so many sites that regularly offer new content, such as blogs, newspapers, magazines, and so on.
What RSS Means For You
What can “RSS” do for you? Wash the dishes, clean the house, pick the kids up from soccer practice? . . . Well almost . . . LOL . . . RSS allows you to subscribe to a web sites feed and new content will be delivered to you via your “feed reader” (more on those in a minute). The advantage to you is that you do not have to take the time to check back at a web site to see if there is anything new, the web site sends the new information to you. If your like me and visit a number of web sites on a regular basis it’s a huge time saver.
How To Grab A Feed
Generally, there are two ways to receive a feed. All you need to do is click on the “sexy orange icon” in your browser address bar and it will display the address of the RSS feed in the browser window such as, >>bhggraphicdesign.com/blog/feed/<<. Copy and paste this address into your feed reader and you should be all set. Or some sites offer a feed manager service (like we use for cabinfever) such as Feed Burner, if so, the feed manager will have a selection of feed readers. Choose your reader and the feed manager will do the rest, loading the feed subscription into your feed reader.
My Feed Reader? What’s that?
To receive a RSS feed you need an aggregator or a “feed reader”. So now your heads spinning?! Don’t worry getting a feed reader is easy and Google offers a great one. Wikipedia also has links to about 20-25 different client or web based feed readers. Choose the one that works best for you and reflects how you use the web.
More On Google Reader
I use Google Reader because I receive about 15-20 feeds from my favorite sites (news, professional web sites, fun, etc . . . ) And since I am on the internet everyday (occupational hazard!) reading my feeds via web browser is the most convenient for me. I have Firefox set to open Google Reader when ever I launch my browser. It’s like opening the newspaper every morning.
Other Feed Readers
One advantage to using a web based reader, such as Google Reader, is that it let’s you access your feeds from any computer that has an internet connection, so whether you are at your computer or not you can always access your feed subscriptions. Google Reader is my choice for a feed reader but any web based reader will offer similar functionality. However, you may find a client side feed reader may suite your needs better. For instance, if you want to have your feeds downloaded so that you can read your feeds off line. Just think of a feed reader like your email client. Email clients like Outlook, Thunderbird, Entourage are client based email applications. Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo mail, and so on, are web based email solutions.
What Are You Waiting For?
RSS feeds are a great tool to help you keep up with important content and before long they will be as common place as email. So take a deep breath, and jump in the pool, before you know it you will be receiving the feed from International Talk Like A Pirate Day web site! Just kidding they actually don’t offer an RSS feed.
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