RSS simply means Really Simple Syndication and it s a simple data only version of a web page or weblog. This makes it easy to write programs that track this XML formatted data stream and let s you know when there s new material added to the site.
For example, if you were tracking the Ask Iyabo Oyawale Data Stream, when this article went live, you d receive notification and be able to read it within minutes of it arriving.
Another Definition of RSS
RSS and Atom files provide news updates from a website in a simple form for your computer. You read these files in a program called an aggregator, which collects news from various websites and provides it to you in a simple form.
For me, RSS is a time saver because I can not imagine what my day will look like if I have to track down what s new at hundreds of websites that I often visit. It will be tiring and time consuming. But, with an RSS reader, I can track all the latest info on my favourite websites and blogs.
How to Subscribe to an RSS Feed
There are some browsers that support RSS. For instance, if you want to track the RSS feed of Ask Iyabo Oyawale, just click on the cute orange button on your browser. If it shows you a cryptic page of meaningless text, you need an RSS reader or Aggregator. What an RSS reader does for you is to give you updates on all your favorite websites in one place. This way, you can control what you read and any site whose updates you no longer want, you just delete it from your reader.
Different Types of RSS Readers
There are 3 different types of RSS Readers. Some come as standalone programs, while others come as a plug in for your favorite web browser or email program. The third group is the web based services. RSS Aggregators remember your subscription list, check each site on a periodic basis, and alert you to new articles that have been published. A few of the most popular are BlogExpress and FeedReader for Windows, NetNewsWire and NewsFire for Macintosh and Lifera for Linux. These are programs you can download for Windows, Mac and Linux/Unix System. Enough for the first group of RSS readers.
Secondly, you can graft RSS capabilities into your web browser or email program. Notable among the readers in this group are Newsgatoronline and Pluck(which both work with Microsoft Outlook on Windows).
Finally, you can subscribe to an RSS aggregator web service which gives you a custom web page such as My Yahoo.
Of all these, I use a web based product called NewsGator Online which gives me the ability to track as many feeds as I like.It s really fun and to sign up for NewsGator Online,just go to http://www.newsgator.com
You ll thank me later as you ll discover a whole new world of fun which you can explore to your delight. |
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