What are RSS Feeds and how do I use them?
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. It is an XML based format used for content distribution and syndication. Subscribing to RSS Feeds allows you to receive custom and up-to-date information from your favorite online content sources, without having to regularly check the site for updates. For example, you can subscribe to “Most Viewed presentations” on authorSTREAM. You can then view them all in your RSS Reader (that displays RSS feeds from the websites you specify). You can either download a dedicated reader, or you can also use web based reader.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format for syndicating ‘news’. Many websites provide up-to-the-minute news; it can become time-consuming and difficult to go to each website for the latest information. RSS readers provide a way of collating all of the latest information you are interested in, in one place – thereby doing the hard work for you. The BBC, for example, provides an RSS feed for the latest headlines. Rather than having the user open the BBC website every time they want to check for new headlines the RSS feed will monitor the BBC site for new headlines and then alert the user when one is added. Websites that provide RSS feeds usually display one of the icons shown below.
