What is RSS?

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These small xml icons are popping up all over the internet. Clicking on them allows the reader to view a link to the site’s RSS (Really Simple Syndication) page and subscribe to them using a NewsReader. These “feeds” allow the reader to quickly scan headlines and, if interested, view a summary (or in some cases the entire) article. RSS is a very efficient method of reading and sharing information.

Sites can have many RSS feeds, such as Channel3000 or the Washington Post. Isthmus’s Daily Page has a feed, as does WisPolitics.

Getting Started:
Download a NewsReader:

RSS FAQ.

I’ve also posted a brief screencast that demonstrates my use of a RSS NewsReader (NetNewsWire). 13MB Quicktime