Everything You Always wanted to Know about RSS Feeds!
Podcasting,
in lay-persons terms, is simply a way to incorporate audio and
other types of media into RSS Feeds.
Some
podcasts are full-fledged amateur broadcasts, and others, like the
one at my main site, are just quick daily tutorials, tips or
greetings, that I like to call mini-casts.
Through
the power of RSS, folks can then find out about your site in a
variety of ways, not just as a one-time visitor, but as a
subscriber to your feed, often on their daily trips to their
personal pages at My Yahoo, CNet’s Newsgator, or MyMSN.
Just
like with regular RSS, every time you update this file with
information, your subscribers get an automatic notification.
RSS News Feeds - Types
RSS
Syndication or RSS Newsfeeds (RSS Feeds for short) all refer to
the same thing. There are two parts to the process, the publisher,
and the consumer. The publisher produces a small text file in a
special format that lists the title and address of an article or
resource published on the World Wide Web. The consumer uses a
program, usually called an aggregator to read and display the
contents of that simple text file, with links to the web page. Or
the consumer may visit a website that includes an aggregator
program, and view the results as a web page. Members of Yahoo.com,
for example, can set their personal 'My Yahoo' pages to display
the contents of any RSS feeds they select.
That
is all there is to it. Simple. That's why some people say RSS
stands for 'Really Simple Syndication.'
Some
confusion has arisen because an RSS feed may be used in several
ways. Calling it a 'newsfeed' is the first mistake, since RSS is
used for much more than news. The most common situation is for the
RSS items listed to have a short title, link to the original web
page referred to, and a short description of the contents of that
web page. But other people are including the complete contents of
their resource directly in the RSS feed. So the feed may contain a
graphic image of a cartoon, an entire post to a weblog (or blog),
or the complete contents of a newsletter, rather than just a link
back to those resources on a web site. Other sites leave out the
description, and just list titles linked back to their website.
And some versions of RSS allow you to leave out the title, so long
as you have a description.
Speaking
of 'versions' of RSS, that is the source of even more confusion.
RSS began with version 0.90, and was called 'RDF Site Summary' --
the RDF refers to 'Resource Description Framework,' the method of
labeling different parts of the file. This early version was
updated and changed through various incarnations, including 0.91,
0.92, 0.93 and 0.94, and they began to call RSS 'Really Simple
Syndication.' Then someone came along with a different format,
slightly more complicated, and called it RSS version 1.0.
Supporters of version 0.94 didn't like the implication that 1.0
was somehow an advance on 0.94 when in actuality it was a
completely different format, so they came up with version 2.0
which was an improved version of 0.94, but still unlike 1.0.
Rather than take sides in all this squabbling, someone else came
up with their own version and called it Atom, to distance
themselves from the RSS battles. Someone else developed Blogrolls
that use OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language). Most of these
formats are either loosely or strictly based on XML, the parent
mark-up scheme.
None
of this confusion of method and purpose has helped spread this
really useful tool. Most RSS aggregators can read any of these
formats, so the situation is not as hopeless as it may seem, but
many folks still throw the whole thing out when they can't figure
out exactly how it is supposed to work.
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You can listen & respond
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| On
SharedRSS.com we use version 1.0 because it is endorsed by W3C as
being supportive of the 'semantic web.' For the casual user
however, the version is really not important. SharedRSS is a
simple site that performs a very powerful function ... it brings
the benefits of RSS syndication to all those who publish websites,
but who add new material too infrequently to warrant having their
own RSS feed. |
RSS
Syndication was designed to help people find out about new content
on the web, long before the search engines get around to finding
it. It makes it easy for people to find out about new content that
interests them, without having to return to the search engines and
wade through all the material they have seen before. For sites
with frequently changing content, it has worked well for them to
create their own RSS feed and update it as new content is added to
their website. But what about all those sites that only add an
occasional new article or story to their website, or who publish a
newsletter once per month? Or those who just can't take the time
to figure the ins and outs of formatting an RSS feed? An RSS feed
that only gets updated once every few months is of little value;
very few people will add it to their search list in their
aggregator. Shared RSS solves this problem by lumping together
articles from different sites covering the same topic, and lets
them announce the availability of their new material in a feed
shared with others publishing on the same topic. This makes the
feeds more useful to the consumer, so they are more likely to add
the link to their aggregator. It benefits the publisher by making
more people aware of their material as soon as it is put on-line.
About
the Author
Andrew J. Morris is the owner and creator of SharedRSS -- a
website that allows all website owners to syndicate their newly
added material for FREE. http://www.sharedrss.com/
RSS News Readers
Why is RSS So Magical?
The answer is simple: RSS is news you choose.
How Does RSS Work?
Publishers and webmasters provide content and news in an
RSS feed. Users view the content of interest in an RSS reader
or news aggregator. The aggregator or reader contains the
collection of feeds that are of interest to the user. As the
RSS feed is updated the content in the reader or aggregator
updates with the new information. At any point, users can
remove a feed from their aggregator or reader and no longer
receive information from that source. Ultimately, the user is
choosing the news and content they wish to view.
As RSS has increased in popularity more and more webmasters
and publishers have adopted RSS as an alternative
communication stream. Webmasters use an RSS graphic to
indicate the content is available via RSS.
RSS Aggregators and News Readers
Generally, there are three types of RSS readers that users
use to view feeds that they've subscribed to. Feeds can be
viewed in a desktop application, web-based aggregator, or
plug-in aggregator.
Desktop RSS Readers
Standalone desktop applications generally run in the
background, similar to an e-mail client, automatically
refreshing headlines as newfeeds are updated. The RSS readers
collect the feeds and refresh items in the feeds each time
they are updated. An example of a popular standalone desktop
RSS reader is: FeedDemon - http://www.feeddemon.com
Web Based Aggregators
Web-based news aggregators are online services. In simple
terms, you can personalize a web page. Each time that page is
accessed or each time you login to the service, the web page
news headlines from feeds that you have selected will refresh.
Examples of popular web-based RSS aggregators are: SurfPack -
http://www.surfpack.com , FeedScout - http://www.feedscout.com
or ActiveWeb Reader - http://www.deskshare.com/awr.aspx .
My.Yahoo even has the option of including RSS feeds on
My.Yahoo start pages.
Plug-in Readers
Plug-in news aggregators expand the functionality of
existing applications to allow users to veiw RSS feeds from
within an existing program. Some plug-ins work with web
browsers; others work with e-mail clients. An example of a
plugin is: NewsGator Outlook - http://www.newsgator.com/outlook.aspx
Websites containing RSS feeds usually have a colorful
graphic indicating the availability of an RSS feed. The
graphic is usually marked 'RSS' or 'XML'. Simply click the
graphic and enter the URL of the file into the reader.
Regardless of the RSS reader or news aggregator used by web
surfers, the process of adding feeds is generally simple. Web
surfers need only to enter the URL of the RSS feed that they
wish to view into their news reader. Each time the reader
refreshes the feed the information contained within the feed
is updated and new content in the feed will appear in the RSS
reader.
Finding Feeds
In order to find topic-specific feeds, conduct a search on
the RSS search engines available at RSS Specifications -
http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-directory.htm or try RSS
Locator - http://www.rss-locator.com .
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds and
NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a wireless messaging
software company.
Custom News Feed - AnyRSS Newsfeeds
Welcome to AnyRSS, home of newsfeeds from
around the world. Haven't visited AnyRSS before, then let
me take a moment and explain exactly what a news feed is.
Newsfeeds or RSS Feeds for short, stand for Really Simple
Syndication and is a format for syndicating news and content of
news-like sites, including personal weblogs.
AnyRSS - Newsfeeds & Formats
Two types of RSS Syndication exist, one for
publisher, such as website owners and the other for consumers,
such as people browsing the web.
-
Publishers produce small text files in an RSS format that
lists the title and address of a resource published on the web
(AnyRSS example).
-
Consumers use a program called a feed reader (aggregator) to
read and display the contents of the RSS file.
RSS aware programs called news aggregators are very
popular in the blogging community. Because many weblogs make
content available in RSS, readers can help you keep up with all
your favorite sites by simply checking for new RSS feeds.
Want to get started and create your own AnyRSS
newsfeed, simply click [here].
Great free news reader, about the best out there and open
source! is RSS
Bandit.
We hope you enjoy the site!
RSS Feed Reader - Innovative Use
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a new way to broadcast
corporate news and structured information. RSS offers a quick,
easy corporate communication channel. The RSS contents are
published as a feed and the feed's content keep customers,
partners and journalists abreast of corporate news and
information. The RSS feeds are read using a tool referred to as
a news aggregator, or an RSS reader. The aggregator periodically
checks to see if the RSS feed has been updated. As the feed is
updated, new information will automatically appear in the RSS
reader.
While RSS was at one point only considered to be a means to
deliver news headlines, RSS has quickly become a powerful medium
to disseminate all kinds of information. As traditional
marketers are attempting to rein in content delivery, measuring
e-mail open rates, click-throughs and conversions, Internet
users are fighting to gain control over the content they
receive. Savvy marketers and business owners are using RSS as a
way to improve corporate communication and increase their
external exposure and brand appeal.
What is the enclosure tag?
RSS 2.0 is quickly becoming the definitive RSS standard, all
because of its support for the enclosure tag. The enclosure tag
is an optional field in the RSS 2.0 specification that allows
the feed publisher to include a link to a file. The file can be
just about anything. Businesses have seized the opportunity,
including tutorials, streaming audio lectures, PDF proposals,
Power Pointâ„¢ presentations, podcasts of sales meetings,
and advertising portfolios among other traditional uses for RSS.
Many businesses have yet to realize the potential hidden in
the enclosure field. The implications and power of how RSS can
be used is really awe-inspiring. Consider the following business
uses for RSS:
1. PDF Documents - Consider broadcasting meeting agenda notes
or documentation as a PDF included with a feed, allowing
interested individuals to access information without having to
deal with cumbersome e-mail attachments.
2. PPT Presentations - Presentations can easily be
distributed in a feed enclosure. The added benefit is that
presenters using Power Pointâ„¢ will not have to lug their
notebook to a meeting to present - they can manage the
presentation from an iPod or similar handheld that reads RSS
feeds.
3. Video - Video or streaming video are both possible via the
enclosure field. Have lectures or even political debates come to
life with the added video component.
4. Audio - Audio content does not mean that feeds are limited
to your favorite songs. Podcasting is the coined term for audio
content contained in a feed and can include language
instruction, talk shows or editorials.
5. Images - Imagine realtors using the enclosure field to
display photos of homes to interested buyers. Now they can carry
a light-weight catalog with them to show potential buyers at a
moment's notice.
6. Downloads - Consider an information technology department
in a large corporation conducting proprietary software updates,
including executables or zip files in the enclosure field which
allow users to update the software at a convenient time.
Feed readers are playing catch up
RSS news aggregators were initially designed to receive
text-based content. As users find outside-the-box uses for RSS,
developers of RSS feed readers are struggling to release new
versions that support the enclosures businesses are eager to
use.
FeedDemon, a popular RSS feed reader, has recently added
support for every type of enclosure in their latest release.
They have created a safe list that can be customized to include
specific types of file types like PDFs. This will automate
downloads of files that are deemed "safe". This was
clearly designed with security in mind, to prevent automatic
downloading of executables.
Businesses are revolutionizing RSS as a communication medium.
While some traditional businesses are struggling to include
monthly newsletter summaries in an RSS feed and reap the
benefits of RSS, other innovative businesses are adopting
incredibly creative uses for both internal and external
corporate communications.
About the Author
About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for
FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating,
editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon
manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a
wireless text messaging software company.
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RSS Feeds
