Getting Started with RSS

RSS is a really simple way of publishing, or syndicating, information over a network. In fact, that's how it got its name: Really Simple Syndication.

A stream of information that someone publishes using RSS is called a "feed." There are thousands of feeds available to you over the Internet, including everything from the oldest form of syndicated content, the latest news, to specialized feeds that deal narrowly with a single topic of interest, like this feed. When you make arrangements to receive a feed and view it on your computer, you are said to "subscribe" to the feed. It is a little bit like subscribing to a magazine that is delivered through the mail to your house, or signing up to receive home delivery of your local newspaper.

Once you have subscribed to a feed, as with the newspaper that is delivered to your door, all you have to do is pick it up and read it. With RSS feeds, you subscribe and access your feeds by using what is called an RSS "reader." Nowadays, that task is most easily accomplished using your Internet browser, although your tech director may provide you with a program that will pick up your feeds and display them without opening your browser. Remember, though, that your reader cannot pick up your feeds and display the information without first connecting to the internet and retrieving them.

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Next: Installing Your RSS Reader