RSS is an acronym that means either Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Syndication. It is a way to describe, organize, and deliver content and information using XML technology from a web site or  “service” to an end user (typically a feed reader).

Here is a great video from CommonCraft.com explaining what RSS is and how it works.

YouTube – Video: RSS in Plain English

What type of sites have RSS feeds?

Sites that regularly update their information are the biggest users of RSS feeds. Typically, Blogs like this one use RSS feeds to distribute their new articles to subscribers and other services. News sites are another type of site that use RSS to distribute their content. Podcasts, (like the VitaminCM Podcast) also use RSS to distribute their content through iTunes and other services.

There are two parts to using RSS Feeds:

1. A site or service that provides an RSS feed and…
2. A Feed Reader to download and display the information.

How do you know if a Site has an RSS feed?

There is a standard icon that indicates a site that has a feed. There is also a collection of "nonstandard" icons that allow you to subscribe using some of the more popular feed readers.

Reading RSS Feeds

The other part of RSS the equation is a Feed Reader to download and display the content of an RSS feed. RSS Clients fall into two groups, Web Based applications and Desktop applications. There is a strong group of supporters for each type, think of the pros and cons in the “Gmail vs. Outlook” argument.

Some Popular Web Based RSS Clients

Google Reader: Google’s feed reader has a ton of great features to help you keep your feeds organized. (my current tool)

Bloglines: Yahoo’s feed reader is another very good option for reading and managing your feeds. (I used this for a long time before I switched to Google Reader.)

NetVibes, PageFlakes, MyYahoo, are some other popular web based feed readers.

Desktop Based RSS Clients

FeedDeamon: NewsGator’s Windows only feed reader is probably the most popular desktop feed reader. Here is a video explaining how to use FeedDeamon.

Here is a list of about a Bazillion other Desktop RSS Reader for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird all allow you to read RSS feeds using your email tool.

Reader Poll

Here’s your chance to speak up:

n

Subscribing to Feeds

Once you choose an RSS reader, you’re ready to start subscribing to feeds from your favorite sites. When you find a site that has an RSS feed, you can use the following steps to add the feed to your feed reader:

Click the orange RSS icon or Subscribe link, or …

Select your feed reader using one of these buttons.

Confirm that you want to add the feed to your reader.

Categorize your feed into folders or using tags, to keep everything grouped and organized. This video shows you how to categorize and organize your feeds in Google Reader. This video shows how to use Bloglines to add and organize new feeds.

Other Useful Resources

Nice overview of RSS and how it works.

Very good article explaining RSS “The Oprah Way”. (I think I just threw up in my mouth.)

Another Simple explanation of RSS.

What’s on YOUR Mind?

Please add your thoughts, questions, suggestions, or feedback to the Comments section below.

Speaking of RSS…

Don’t Miss Parts 2 and 3 of this Series

Become a Subscriber

Subscribe to RSS Feed | Subscribe via Email | Comments

And if text just isn’t enough,

Subscribe to the VitaminCM.com Podcast

Subscribe to the VitaminCM Podcast in iTunes.

bloglines, feed reader, feeddeamon, google reader, RSS, Software, tutorial