Computer and Web Articles

When you visit a website that updates frequently (such as a blog, weather, or news website), you’ll likely see a little tab or icon somewhere on the page that says “RSS” or “Subscribe” or looks similar to the icon you see here:

So what does RSS mean, what does it do, and most importantly, why should you care?

RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, provides you with a way to track all the updates on your favorite websites in a single location. Instead of jumping from site to site, you visit a single page to view the info you care about. Fantastic for anyone who visits even just two or three of the same sites on a regular basis to find out what’s new.

RSS generates “feeds” containing the stream of updates your favorite sites make. All you need to do is use a Feed Reader (such as Google’s free Reader) and subscribe to your favorite sites (that’s what those Subscribe buttons and sonar-style icons are for) and your Reader will keep all your info in one spot that you can visit at your convenience. That’s it.

RSS isn’t intimidating. It’s simple. (It’s not called Really Simple Syndication for nothing, you know.) Your Feed Reader isn’t much different than an always-updating email inbox displaying the stories and information you care about most.

If RSS sounds intriguing to you, I encourage you to take a quick look at the following article for a better explanation of RSS and a friendly walkthrough on how to set it up: http://tinyurl.com/63dconl.