Data obtained from http://rss.softwaregarden.com/aboutrss.html by softwaregarden inc.
What is RSS?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It is used by computer programs that organize those headlines and notices for easy reading. It repeatedly checks each website to see if there is any new content to save you time and stress.
RSS is a better way than e-mail to be notified of new and changed content. Notifications of changes to multiple websites are handled easily, and the results are presented to you well organized and distinct from email.
How does RSS work? RSS works by having the website author maintain a list of notifications on their website in a standard way. This list of notifications is called an "RSS Feed". Special computer programs called "RSS aggregators" have been developed that automatically access the RSS feeds of websites you care about on your behalf and organize the results for you. Think of an RSS aggregator as just a web browser for RSS content. (RSS feeds and aggregators are also sometimes called "RSS Channels" and "RSS Readers".) They detect the additions and present them all together to you in a compact and useful manner. If the title and description of an item are of interest, the link can be used to quickly bring the related web page up for reading.
How do I find out if a website has an RSS feed? It is usually indicated on the home page or main news page with a link to "RSS", or sometimes by displaying an orange button with the letters "XML" or "RSS". Once you know the URL of an RSS feed, you can provide that address to an RSS aggregator program and have the aggregator monitor the feed for you. Many RSS aggregators come preconfigured with a list to choose from of RSS feed URLs for popular news websites.
Sponsored Links
Feedster: A search engine for public RSS feeds that can also provide the results of a search as an ongoing RSS feed.
ListGarden: An open source program from Software Garden to create RSS feeds. For Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
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