Can someone explain, simply, what is RSS?

Question

So I go to a lot of blogs and there is the little 'rss' icon at just about every one of them. What is RSS? I know you need a reader, and that it has to do with "syndicating data" whatever that means.

I guess I really want to understand how looking at information on an RSS reader would be any different from using a browser to read it on the WWW? Break it down very simply, what it is and why do I want to click on the icon for the blogs I normally read?


BTW, as if it needed to be said, any rude or bogus answers will be flagged and you'll lose pts.

Answer 1

Well, you said that you know that you can read the blogs' RSS through an RSS reader. The difference from WWW: You don't have to browse to every single blog that you're interested in. You'll get updates from all the blogs (and news sites) that you're "subscribed" to in your one RSS reader.



Actually, instead of clicking on the RSS icon, you right-click it. Then you select, "Copy Shortcut." Then you go into your RSS reader and paste that shortcut into the list of RSS feeds that you want to keep track of.



Syndication simply means that the information is available to multiple subscribers, even other web sites. So, for example, in addition to using an RSS reader, if you knew how, you could display the RSS information of other blogs or sites on your own web site.

Answer 2

RSS is just a way to put all of your regularly subscribed-to content in one place, nothing more. Example: I use mine to collect all of the updated programmer blogs I like to read. I have about 10 of them, and going to each website individually is a pain...especially considering that many do not update with any sort of predictable regularity, and they don't update daily.



So if you're checking a site regularly for content, or several sites, adding them to a feed subscriber is an easy way to keep up to date. I use Outlook's feed subscriber, since I'm always checking email anyhow...makes it easy that blog updates roll in just like emails.

Answer 3

A RSS Feed is simply a link to a database that has tons of extra information on that topic.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)