RSS explained

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RSS

This an acronym for Really Simple Syndication and Rich Site Summary.

RSS is an XML-based format for content distribution. XML is the language embedded in much of the material that is delivered over the internet.

Webmasters provide headlines pointing to fresh content and consumers monitor the feeds from aggregators to find what is new.

What is RSS for?

RSS technology is a way of telling people when some web content that they are interested in has changed. This is sometimes called 'Push' technology as it allows new web content to be sent to those who have expressed an interest so they do not have to visit or 'Pull' the content into their browser.

How does it work?

Step 1

Webmasters create , or more likely write, a clever piece of code to create a special file containing headlines.

Step 2

A specially formatted 'RSS page' is created which can be scanned by users to identify content that interests them. (Search engines might take weeks to pick up the changes)

Step 3

Users can sign up to receive the RSS feed from a site. This is like a 'What's new' announcement. Aggregators also scan the web (or a feed by webmasters) and assemble RSS feeds around themes which users can visit to check on what is going on.

When you se this logo on a site it invites you to click to receive a n RSS feed. To cancel a feed you normally just send a blank email with the word cancel in the subject slot.

The future

The majority of RSS feeds currently have news headlines or breaking information, but users are recognising the potential and many blogs offer a feed so you are informed when the blog is updated.

FeedForAll - will create a feed for you