What's up with RSS?
April 11th 2006 02:07
What is it?
In a previous article, I mentioned RSS, and threw out a link that didn't really help to explain it. It's a big part of blogging in general, so we'll try to walk through the whole damn thing.
Do I know what RSS is? No, not really. I mean, yeah. Uh, no.
In fact, Jon is probably the best person to explain what RSS is. But I'll try and do a mediocre job.
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It's a way of simplifying the internet and the exchange of information.
RSS feeds are a simplified version of your weblog, with dates on all your posts. That way, instead of loading the entire page, with pictures and ads and all, your computer can just download a small RSS feed, which will show small summaries of your posts.
If your blog has an RSS feed, that means that everytime you make a post, the RSS feed will be updated.
A reader that subscribes to your post will be notified that your blog has been updated.
It's brilliant! Instead of loading up every single page, your RSS reader will just tell you which ones have new content. It's a fantastic time-saving tool.
Examples:
For my blog, 20/20 Filmsight, the RSS feed is here.
Here's Lia's excellent blog: Freud.ianslip.com and here's her RSS feed.
See? See?
How to use it
For the Placeclick blogs, there's no need. Jon has kindly created RSS feeds for every blog. Thanks!
Other blogs that you might come across will have a little orange icon, that say 'RSS' or 'XML' or 'ATOM' or one of many other acronyms.
If you're using Firefox, you can automatically import RSS feeds, using Live Bookmarks.
My reader of choice is a Firefox extension called Sage.
One of the most popular programs is Feedreader.
Can I ignore RSS?
Of course you can! *sound of Cibby petting you on the head*
If you'd rather ignore RSS, you're free to just open up webpages by hand, one-by-one, looking for new content.
As Jon has mentioned before, part of our role on the network is to visit other blogs and comment, making a thriving community. Sure, you can do it without RSS, but it'll take a long, long time.
If someone would like to make any further remarks about RSS, please do so... I've only got a working knowledge of what it is...
In a previous article, I mentioned RSS, and threw out a link that didn't really help to explain it. It's a big part of blogging in general, so we'll try to walk through the whole damn thing.
Do I know what RSS is? No, not really. I mean, yeah. Uh, no.
In fact, Jon is probably the best person to explain what RSS is. But I'll try and do a mediocre job.
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It's a way of simplifying the internet and the exchange of information.
RSS feeds are a simplified version of your weblog, with dates on all your posts. That way, instead of loading the entire page, with pictures and ads and all, your computer can just download a small RSS feed, which will show small summaries of your posts.
If your blog has an RSS feed, that means that everytime you make a post, the RSS feed will be updated.
A reader that subscribes to your post will be notified that your blog has been updated.
It's brilliant! Instead of loading up every single page, your RSS reader will just tell you which ones have new content. It's a fantastic time-saving tool.
Examples:
For my blog, 20/20 Filmsight, the RSS feed is here.
Here's Lia's excellent blog: Freud.ianslip.com and here's her RSS feed.
See? See?
How to use it
For the Placeclick blogs, there's no need. Jon has kindly created RSS feeds for every blog. Thanks!
If you're using Firefox, you can automatically import RSS feeds, using Live Bookmarks.
My reader of choice is a Firefox extension called Sage.
One of the most popular programs is Feedreader.
Can I ignore RSS?
Of course you can! *sound of Cibby petting you on the head*
If you'd rather ignore RSS, you're free to just open up webpages by hand, one-by-one, looking for new content.
As Jon has mentioned before, part of our role on the network is to visit other blogs and comment, making a thriving community. Sure, you can do it without RSS, but it'll take a long, long time.
If someone would like to make any further remarks about RSS, please do so... I've only got a working knowledge of what it is...
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Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
can't I just press an RSS or XML button on someones blog and follow the dircetions there? I'm not getting anything now from Orble at all except my traffic stats and when I go to try and resubscribe, it says I'm already subscribed!
LOL
Help?
Thanks,
Nick