What is RSS?
This article explains what RSS is, how you can benefit from it, how to set up an RSS reader and where to find RSS feeds to read.
“RSS” stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. It is not a buzzword. It is an acronym. It’s also not new. RSS syndication was first developed in 1999 (version 0.9).
To the layperson or non-technical reader, RSS allows for remote reading of articles from multiples sites (sources), via “feeds” normally aggregated in one convenient location (your RSS reader).
Why is it convenient to read site content in an RSS reader?
Good question. It’s more convenient because it saves you time and in doing so allows you to scan just the headlines of articles, reading only those which interest you. Consider for a moment that you have fifty web sites that you normally browse for news, information, tips and just to stay on top of changes in your industry, job or personal interests.
Option A:
- Bookmark all fifty sites in your browser
- Remember to visit each site in the list daily to check for new articles or content
- When you visit each site, click around to read the articles
- Lather, rinse and repeat daily - very time consuming
Option B:
- Visit the sites you go to for information ONCE
- Identify and add the sites’ RSS feeds to your RSS reader
- Visit your RSS reader daily and have content served to you
- Scan and read only new articles posted to the sites you like
- Instead of you visiting fifty sites each day, the sites visit you