Help? What is RSS?
The number of pages on the World Wide Web is growing by leaps and bounds. Keeping up with what's new is impossible. Wouldn't it be better to have the information you want to be delivered to you. It can be done quite easily. The process is called Really Simple Syndication, or RSS.
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The Short Story: Are you already familiar with RSS? Here is all you need to know. We offer RSS news feeds for our family of Web sites -- trsc.com, sundstrom.org, w2xq.com and swlfest.com -- and selected clients that opt to include a news feed. The service is free and available for personal, non-commercial use. Copy the line below for the URL of the feed to put into your favorite RSS news reader.
On most browsers you can right-click this link and select "copy shortcut" or "copy target address" or something similar. Some Web browsers, such as Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox, allow drag-and-drop. Please consult the documentation of your RSS reader for more information on how to implement. |
Questions and Answers
Q: Does RSS consume system resources?
A: No. From 1996 to 2000, network administrators and IT management often issued directives to remove a popular screensaver application called Pointcast. Pointcast "pushed" current news, weather, sports and other information to the desktop and displayed it whenever the screensaver became active. Its multimedia graphical presentation consumed a lot of bandwidth. RSS is text, and retrieves only headlines at intervals the user specifies. A click of the mouse on a headline retrieves a desired story for display in your chosen browser.
Q: Does subscribing to the news feed turn into into unsoliticed e-mails (spam)?
A: No. The "subscription" is simply an Internet address (URL) that looks like a standard Web browser entry that is saved into a news reader software package or browser plug-in. No e-mail address is required.
Help with RSS
a slightly longer how-to story
With appropriate software you can automatically be informed of the latest items to be posted to the Web sites without having to rustle through a Web browser or a mail inbox.
There are a number of ways to get the RSS feed:
- If you are a member of Yahoo, go to their RSS entry page and then copy and paste the above URL into the "add new sources" field near the top of the page.
- If you use the Mozilla or Firefox browser on OS X or Windows, download and install the Sage extension, then add the above URL as a new feed. It's a bookmark; I suggest creating a new folder, e.g. "RSS/XML Feeds".
- If you use the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser in Windows, try the Pluck browser add-in.
- Standalone programs: for Windows, FeedReader — click here to download the latest version — and for Mac, NetNewsWire or NetNewsWireLite.
Even More Help with RSS
links and help pages elsewhere on the 'net
Rather than duplicate other work product on the Internet, these links should provide help, how-to, and recommendations on a variety of newsreader software. TRS Consultants cannot provide technical support for the RSS software or your operating system.
- All About RSS
- BBC News | Help | RSS
- Guardian Unlimited | Online | Working the web: Newsreaders
- Infoworld: RSS Feeds
There are many free or commercial news aggregator or reader programs available for download. Other services are web-based and allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds and display the content inside your browser.
- Open Directory Project List of Readers
- Google List of Readers
- RSS Readers (Google Listing)
- Yahoo! List of Readers
In case you asked, our personal preference is the Firefox browser with the Sage add-in. That may or may not be the best choice for you. Please contact me if these help pages are not answering the questions for you. I will endeavor to answer your questions by locating additional links and help pages on the 'net and adding them to this list.
"OPML" Data Files
data exchange? maybe...
As you have read in the "help" pages, "OPML" data files should be interchangeable between newsreader programs, akin to RTF files for word processing programs. It is my experience that, so far, this is not the case. The files below are OPML files I created in using or testing newsreader programs. If you are just getting started with a newsreader, you may like to use or try importing one of these files for a jump start. You can also import a file to add to your data; the newsreader program will alert you to duplications and allow you to skip an entry. These files are updated from time to time.
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All three data files are in one ZIP file — please take the time to read the readme.txt file within. Download: |
OPML.ZIP rev. 2004-11-20 |
The Flip Side
so what are the problems, the shortcomings?
RSS is a useful tool when used properly, but it is not all peaches and cream. If you are aware of the possible difficulties, then so much the better. For example, there are several different RSS versions requiring one to seek out the proper reader software and there are moves afoot to embed advertising in some RSS feeds. "Podcasting" — the embedding of audio in the RSS feed — is in full bloom. Do you remember Pointcast that started in 1996? The program was very popular and spread like wildfire through the corporate desktops, but the "push" technology clogged the available bandwidth. Many companies eventually banned the program from the user desktop, and Pointcast died in 2000. Watch this spot for readings on this downside aspect of the news feed "business."
- Don't Believe RSS Hype (Jim Rapoza, Ziff-Davis' eWeek, 2004-09-20
keeping up with the Jones
We found a technology resource Web site — Lockergnome — that offers a host of different topical subjects dealing with the "tools" we use for work, communications and the Internet. Advertising supports the Web site's existence, but no matter. In our opinion it is worth your time to visit and inspect its contents.
In particular, look at the "RSS & Atom Tips" and add the newsfeed to your RSS newsreader. The writers seem to be on the cutting edge of the fast moving industry developments and trends. I find it an interesting and helpful read as standards are shifting, advertisers attempt to make inroads, and "podcasting" embeds media files.
