If you are new to the concept of RSS, this article is written with you in mind. It aims to explain in a really simple term (I hope it is..) that is easy for every beginner to understand.
What Is RSS?
RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. Forget about the jargon for now. It is the simplest way to keep track of all your favorite websites in one single place. Imagine if you are following say 20 websites including this blog, are you going to come to each of the 20 sites just to see what has been updated? It’s so inconvenient, isn’t it? Not anymore.
Think of it like a bookmark. In the olden days, we bookmark our favorite sites from our browser and we have to manually check the site for updates. Gone are the days of browser-based bookmarking. With RSS, you could now subscribe to automatically feed all the sites updates into one single place usually into what we call RSS reader. Hence RSS makes it possible for you to keep up with your favorite sites in an automated manner through RSS feed.
What is RSS Reader?
It is a piece of software whether web-based or desktop-based that checks your subscribed feeds automatically and download any updates into a single interface for easy viewing. Here I’ve listed a few RSS Readers you can opt to use.
Web-based (Recommended)
1. Google Reader
2. Bloglines
Desktop-based (Windows)
1. BlogExpress
2. FeedReader
Desktop-based (Mac OSX)
1. Vienna
2. NetNewsWire
Note: If you are using any of the desktop-based RSS Readers, you need to manually set it up with the site feed url, the feed url for this blog is http://feeds.feedburner.com/thoushallblog. Note that I’m using a third-party service FeedBurner to help me better manage my feed subscription. Apart from other useful services, Feedburner provides me with the statistics of how many people subscribe to my blog.
How to Subscribe to RSS?
They are two ways you can subscribe to RSS.
1. From the browser address bar
If you look up on your browser now, you will see a small orange icon on the right side of your address bar. Click on it and it will bring you to a preview page with an option to subscribe using your choice of reader. It’s really that simple.
2. Right on the site
The other method is to locate the RSS icon or a link that says Subscribe To RSS on the site, usually on the top right, click on it and follow the simple instructions.
Don’t want RSS? Subscribe via Email
If you find that subscribing to RSS is quiet a task to you. You may opt for a more familiar method of subscribing to the updates via your email. Upon subscription, a summary of the latest feed content from your favorite sites will be sent right to your inbox as and when there is an update. All you need to do is to enter your email address to subscribe and you are good to go.
So what now?
OK! If you have not subscribed to this blog, may I suggest the less-hassle & convenience way of keeping up-to-date to what’s new here by subscribing to my RSS or alternatively you could subscribe via your email. Either way, you won’t miss my latest article. Thank you.
Meanwhile, you might not want to miss this video tutorial on RSS in Plain English. Go ahead and have a look.
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This excellent video from Common Craft is also a helpful resource to understand the concept of RSS: http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
@David
Good to see you again. I guess you might have missed that I did refer to his video tutorial on the last paragraph.
It is one of the best video explanation about RSS.
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Your posts have been so useful to me. In fact, I have asked my friends to check out your tips too. Thanks for sharing.
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