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Understanding RSS

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For something as simple and important as RSS, it's incredibly misunderstood. In this very non-technical lens, I'm going to try to show you what you need to know to start using it.

The four things you need to know about RSS

  1. RSS is a stream of updated information. It comes from a blog or a website or some other content application and allows an RSS Reader to know an update has occurred.

  2. When the reader sees an update, it grabs the headline or the headline and some of the content, or the headline and ALL of the content and displays it for you.

  3. This means that once you set up a feed (more on that in a bit), you've got a direct, permanent, updated connection to a source of content. No more surfing!

  4. So, this kills email marketing and it makes it easy for you to have anticipated, personal and relevant communications to (or with) whatever content sources--like companies or people or calendars or databases--you want.

An RSS feed put these headlines here

They start on my blog, but end up on this page.

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Get started quickly

Step by step instructions
A post from my blog on how to add a feed.
Fedafi
Create, manage, market and track
RSS and iTunes valid RSS feeds; and style and track a blog's RSS feed, or
any RSS 2.0 feed for that matter.

The easy way to use RSS is with a Web Reader

My Yahoo!
The most popular web reader
Bloglines
This is the reader I use. A powerful interface, or at least the one I'm used to.
Deepnet
This one is unheralded, but we should hear pretty soon how it is received
Firefox
Yes, Firefox. Firefox has RSS built right into it.

More detailed information on RSS

What is RSS? RSS Explained
A one page quick introduction to RSS, why it is useful, and how to access RSS feeds.
Web Reference: RSS
A collection of RSS resources by Web Reference.
Registering and publishing with RSS
Explains how to register your RSS file with one of the news syndication sites
The Evolution of RSS
This article explains the evolution of RSS and its future. By Andy King, WebReference.com.
RSS DevCenter
A collection of essays and guides to RSS, from O'Reilly, the technical book publisher.
What is RSS?
A how to covering all the various versions of RSS.
LLRX.com - RSS for Non-Techie Librarians
Steven M. Cohen explains RSS with illustrated examples.
Pheed Central
Introduction to content sharing using RSS, including reviews, news, rss directories, and tutorial information.
RSS Compendium
News, resources, tools and links.
RSS Specifications
Information related to RSS and XML, including software, newsreaders, specifications, content syndication, and the history of rss.
Dave Winer's RSS Weblog
Weblog that covers new developments in the field of RSS.
Yahoo! Publisher's Guide to RSS
Provides a five-step process to support effective RSS publishing on the Web.
The RSS Weblog
A blog that covers all things RSS. Updated multiple times a day.
Diveintomark - The Myth of RSS Compatibility
"There are 9 versions of RSS, all of which are incompatible with various other versions." Describes the 9 versions and gives examples of the incompatibility issues.
RSS Related Files
Scripts allowing for real-time RSS feed manipulation in ASP.
RSS 2 PDF
An online utility that can convert RSS feeds into PDF files.
RSSKitty
A compendium of RSS resources for users and creators of RSS and Atom feeds from beginner's tools to expert insights, including software, explanations, marketing and development topics.

Books about RSS

Books? Yes, entire books. Go figure.

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books i like

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skip's feeds

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feed 2

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by

sethgodin

Seth Godin is the bestselling author of 13 books. He writes about marketing, the spread of ideas and managing both customers and employees with respec... more »

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