Web team Tutorials
Introduction to RSS
RSS feeds have become the standard way of making it easier for end-users to keep up to date with the increasing amount of digital content available on the web. The content can include, but is not limited to, news articles, sound files (podcasts) and video files (vodcasts).
What is RSS?
Users subscribe to the RSS feeds using their browsers or standalone software known as readers or aggregators. These analyse the RSS code for you and fetch the appropriate content from the site. Some RSS readers/aggregators will alert you when new content is available, and schedule the automatic updating of content on your computer.
What does RSS stand for?
RSS is the blanket term for several different standard formats that allow the sharing of digital content over the web:
- Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)
- Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91, RSS 1.0)
- RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)
Please note:
A s an end-user you will rarely have to worry about which standard is being used.
What are RSS feeds?
- RSS feeds contain information about the content on a web site. They are files coded in the markup language XML, and usually end in .xml or .rss.
- The information they provide depends on the content but typically includes the content’s title, the date the content was published, and a link to the content.
- The readers/aggregtors lift this information out of the code and display it in an understandable manner for you.
How do I know an RSS feed is available on a web page?
RSS feeds can be identified by the following icons:
This is the most common RSS icon. -
This icon provides an URI address to the RSS file. - Variations on these standard icons may indicate the nature of the content (eg
indicates that the content includes sound files/podcasts)
How do I use the RSS feed?
Typically you subscribe to a RSS feed by either by dragging the icon onto the news reader/aggregator, or copying the URI of the RSS feed link and pasting this into your software. Please consult the software's documentation for help on how to do this.
Clicking directly on the RSS feed icon in the page will have browser specific results. For instance, IE6 will display the actual RSS feed XML code!; IE7 and Opera 9 will allow you to subscribe to the feed using built-in news reader; and Firefox 2 will allow you to read the textual content of the feed and provide options to subscribe to the feed using online services. Plugins are available for several browsers that can extend their functionality.
What software do I need to subscribe to a RSS feed?
You may already have a RSS reader installed on your system, such as your browser. If you are not sure please ask your user support team.
If not, the are many freely available RSS readers for most operating systems (windows, Mac OSX, linux etc).
Examples of browsers with fully functional builtin News readers/aggregators:
Internet Explorer 7 (Windows)
Opera 9 (Windows/OSX/Linux)
Safari (MAC OSX)
Example of a browser that requires plugins for greater functionality:
Firefox 3 (Windows/OSX/Linux) (eg WizzRSS reader plugin)
Online Services for subscribing to RSS (no need to install software)
My Yahoo
Google Reader
Bloglines
