RSS ("Really Simple Syndication") is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship.
Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place.
What are the Benefits of Using RSS Feeds?
RSS solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter. The number of sites offering RSS feeds is growing rapidly and includes big names like Yahoo News.
RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed's URI or by clicking an RSS icon in a web browser that initiates the subscription process.
The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.
RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats. Although RSS formats have evolved from as early as March 1999,[4] it was between 2005 and 2006 when RSS gained widespread use, and the ("") icon was decided upon by several major Web browsers.
ATVN RSS News Aggregator
It's nearly impossible to install an RSS Reader and parser on your own website without having some sort of computer programming knowledge. We've searched the web to find easy to use scripts to no avail, so we decided to develop our own with an installation module.
Once installed on your website with a few easy to follow steps, you simply enter the RSS link that you wish to feed to and that's it, you have your own RSS Feed that you can update or duplicate as many times as you wish. Use our RSS Feeds and Resources to browse various feeds we think are most relevant.
What do I need to do to read an RSS Feed?
Feed Reader or News Aggregator software allow you to grab the RSS feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use. If you find a website that has a News Aggregator built in, you don't need a reader it will appear as part of the website, ATVN RSS News Aggregator works this way.
A variety of RSS Readers are available for different platforms. Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac), FeedReader (Windows), and NewsGator (Windows - integrates with Outlook). There are also a number of web-based feed readers available. My Yahoo, Bloglines, and Google Reader are popular web-based feed readers.
Once you have your Feed Reader, it is a matter of finding sites that syndicate content and adding their RSS feed to the list of feeds your Feed Reader checks. Many sites display a small icon with the acronyms RSS, XML, or RDF to let you know a feed is available.
") icon was decided upon by several major Web browsers.