What Is RSS

What Is RSS?

What is RSS syndication, and why should you use it?

RSS stands for really simple syndication, and if you have a programming background, it’s really simple. Otherwise, at least from my perspective, it’s pretty close to Pig Latin.

So, here’s my simplified description for RSS and XML in really basic terms for the 99.9% of us who are not programmers by nature or trade.

Real Basic Introduction (RBI): First, with the use of a newsreader, also called an aggregator, it allows you to collect (subscribe to) information from many different locations, or websites via feeds (XML). By subscribing to a feed, you are able to bring updated information directly to your desktop, and scroll through titles and short summaries in your newsreader, and quickly determine what may be of interest to download. By clicking on a particular link inside a reader, that content can be downloaded and accessed whenever desired, and without any further need to be connected to the internet . Of course, there are readers that can handle only pictures and text (BlogBridge), for example), and readers like iTunes that are designed to play audio and video files (podcasts). Regardless of the type of readers you use, you can choose the source of your information, and what you decide to look at (or listen to) from your desktop—quickly and efficiently.

On our site: you may subscribe to our videos, audios, recipes, and Food News content by clicking on the corresponding (blue colored) links below “Feeds” in the sidebar area. Choosing any of our feed URLs, you may also paste those directly into your favorite RSS reader to become a new subcriber.

Perhaps the easiest way to listen or watch podcasts on a Mac or PC is to use iTunes. To obtain your free copy of iTunes, click on this link: iTunes

Some Recommended Newsreaders (personal recommendations):
iTunes
FireAnt
Miro
BlogBridge
NetNewsWire

For a complete list of newsreaders: Add to Any

For more information about aggregate readers: Wikipedia: Aggregator

For additional information about RSS, XML, and other related syndication technologies and formats, please visit: Wikipedia: RSS File Format