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Use RSS Now

Use RSS Now

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a way to publish and update web-based content while making it available to others through an RSS Feed. First developed in 1997, RSS burst on the scene as a content delivery channel with the advent of blogging, podcasting and the iPod, all concurrently happening in 2004.

The web page language used for RSS is based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Using this structured date format, RSS when viewed through an ordinary browser looks like simple raw code. Thus, to read, hear, view, or access the data contained within an RSS Feed, you need to use an RSS Reader.

If you want to learn how to receive RSS Feeds, keep reading. If you would like to make Feeds or use RSS, blogs, podcasts or videocasts as part of your marketing mix,  click here.

Receiving RSS Feeds

You can access the web's largest free listing of RSS Readers here.

Here's RSS Ray's Really Righteous RSS Reader Rundown:

• You need a reader-which is nothing more than a program-to automatically receive and read RSS Feeds.

• Readers can keep track of any feed regardless of publisher and can keep track of many different feeds simultaneously. There are well over 1000 different types of readers, some web-based, and many desk-top applications also interface with Microsoft Outlook. Mobile-based RSS Readers are increasing in popularity.

• RSS Reader software is built into Firefox, Mac's OSX operating system, the web portals of Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL. Microsoft will also be incorporating RSS as a standard feature in its new IE browser and Windows operating system. If you would like to go directly to RSS Ray's comprehensive RSS Reader listing,  click here.

• The process for subscribing to a Feed varies depending upon the RSS Reader. It most often involves a simple click or cut and paste of a URL.

• You can find information available in RSS through  RSS search engines, through the auto discovery features of RSS Readers or by seeing the symbols associated with RSS. You can see a list of RSS information symbols  here.

• RSS Readers look for updated information for those Feeds to which you subscribe, usually every hour. When updates are found they are made available to you. The format can vary by reader but usually contains some of the same elements as is contained in the Feed. The Feed is structured in three parts: a title, a summary/headline and the actual message body, which is an HTML file.

• For large corporations, enterprise applications can be created to deliver RSS Feeds for internal company information and executive information-competitive intelligence and resource gathering purposes.

RSS Readers

RSS Aggregators