RSSIntro to RSS/XML Syndication. | |
There are 9 entries in the FAQ.
Pages: 1
Questions:
Why RSS on this site? Can I use RSS in my current email program, like Outlook? Why is RSS better than email? What is XML? What if I don't have a website? Can I personally get this software? Why have RSS? Why do I get code when I click on a link? Is RSS/XML new? What is an RSS news feed?| Questions and Answers | |
| Why RSS on this site? | |
 | Really simple... to let the technology do the work. What better way to share the volumes of information we publish every day? Plus, it's free! |
| Can I use RSS in my current email program, like Outlook? | |
| Yes and no. It depends on what you are looking for. Outlook in its original state does not do RSS. However, they have relationships with companies like NewsGator and intraVnews. Both programs allows you to subscribe to various syndicated news feeds (such as Web logs, news sites, etc.) and have
news from these sites be delivered right into your Outlook folders. The drawback is that these will cost you. In our tests, we preferred intraVnews. They seemed more up-front with how much it will cost and do not require a credit
card to start. Since the goal is to keep the Inbox empty, we prefer using some other program. But that's just us. |
| Why is RSS better than email? | |
| Emails are very limited in what they can do. Besides that, two words-SPAM & Viruses. RSS has neither. Plus, in email you have no way to really sperate out newsletters
you want, ads, etc. RSS provides a solution by giving you a direct access to the content you are interested in. And unlike spams, you can disable your subscription to a information source in just one click. |
| What is XML? | |
| XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language, and is simply a way of writing information. Feeds are written in XML. |
| What if I don't have a website? Can I personally get this software? | |
| Feed readers, also called newsreaders and news aggregators, allow anyone to learn about the new content on their favorite websites without visiting them.
Because it can minimize effort and save time, 'subscribing' to feeds can be especially useful for people who read a lot of weblogs and other websites. They also provide a great tool for websites without a regular update schedule, as
visitors don't have to keep going to the site to see if it's been updated. Using a feed reader means the content comes to you, instead of you having to go to the
content. Aggregators are available in many different formats. Some are software that you download, whereas others are on the web, such as MyFeedster. Some are very simple, and others have many features; some are free, and some are not; some are made for handheld devices; some allow others to see what you're reading, etc. Some web browsers, such as Firefox, have a built in aggregator. Two good lists of aggregators are from the Google Directory and RSS Compendium. Other choices: Getting RSS into your Outlook: http://www.intravnews.com/indexoffice.htm Provides 30 days unlimited feeds and 5-10 news feeds after 30 days. Can then sign up to upgrade service. Free Readers: www.rssbandit.org www.jaeger.blogmatrix.com |
| Why have RSS? | |
| What makes feeds great is that they list the newest content in a format that software can read. So a feed reader can keep checking for new content automatically, and let you know when there is a new story on your favorite website or blog. A search engine can also keep checking for new content,
allowing people to find things published just a short time ago. Anyone can also use feeds to publish content from other websites on their own sites. You could, in your site: list articles, sports results, weather forecasts, ski reports, the job offers... The possible applications are infinite. |
| Why do I get code when I click on a link? | |
| Feeds are meant to be read by software so the actual file will look indiscernible. A feed may be called an RSS feed, RSS channel, RDF feed, XML feed, or Atom feed, but is all are essentially the same thing. RSS itself may be written as Really Simple Syndication, Rich Site Summary, or various other ways. Websites may also call it syndication, as in 'syndicate this site.' Links to feeds may be labeled as such or with one of a number of graphics-usually orange boxes. |
| Is RSS/XML new? | |
| Just five years ago few people had heard of feeds. Today, it is the hottest technology on the web and feeds are published by many thousands of publishers from individuals to The New York Times. Feeds include everything from news to product reviews to pet photos and full-length movies. |
| What is an RSS news feed? | |
| RSS/XML feeds are a way for web publishers to syndicate content and for people to easily receive it. A feed is simply a file in which a website (such as a blog or news site) lists their latest content on; each item is known as a post. A news site, for example, may list their latest headlines (or entire articles) in their feed; every time a new article is published, it is added to their feed and the oldest item on the feed is removed. |
