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What is RSS?

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It's not just e-mail! RSS, a.k.a. Really Simple Syndication, is an XML-based format that allows the user to subscribe to a wide variety of content, such as news headlines, weblogs, events, etc. News outlets such as the BBC, CNN, the New York Times and ESPN offer RSS feeds, and now, so does MSOE.

How can I receive RSS feeds?
Though there are several different ways to view RSS feeds, the most common is to download a news reader (also called "news aggregators") to display the RSS feeds which you choose to subscribe. There are many of these programs available online, and most are free and simple to use (Yahoo and Google now have RSS capability built-in). Once installed onto your computer, you use the news reader to subscribe to each RSS feed.

Occasionally, you'll simply stumble across feeds. This icon is the unwritten standard for indicating an RSS feed:  If you click on it, it'll bring you to the feed code. You want the page URL. Copy it from your browser address bar and paste it into your news reader program. Some sites offer convenient "subscribe" feeds that interact with popular aggregators.

Why is RSS useful?
Instead of remembering to visit a favorite Web site, the news or information you want comes directly into your computer at whatever interval you want. It's not e-mail; the information goes directly to your news reader program which may signal you when new news has been received. In addition, most RSS feeds contain only links, headlines, or brief synopses of new information. That means that the small amount of data found in an RSS feed can be sent to any XML-compatible device, a cell phone, pager, or handheld computer, without a lengthy download process.

Suggested Freeware News Aggregators:

AmphetaDesk [Mac or Windows]

AmphetaDesk features an intuitive web-browsing interface. This is a great aggregator for anyone starting out with RSS, especially those who don't want to learn how to operate a new piece of software. Also, many sites offer "quick subscribe" links to add their feeds to AmphetaDesk automatically, instead of requiring you to copy and paste the URL.

SharpReader

SharpReader is an excellent full-featured aggregator. Its highly-customizable three-pane interface is simple and intuitive. Each feed can be customized individually. A master "subscribed feeds" view lets you see every item in all of your feeds. The "link cosmos" feature lets you find blogs that link to any item. And its full support for different versions of RSS means that every feed will behave as expected. Highly recommended for heavy RSS users.

FeedReader

FeedReader is a simple aggregator that lacks some of the features of SharpReader, but is faster and more efficient. Ideal for slower machines or users who don't need the advanced customization features of SharpReader.

WinRSS

WinRSS sits quietly in your system tray, periodically checking your favorite sites for updates. When a site is updated, WinRSS displays a summary as a Windows balloon tooltip, which you can click on to open the site.

RSS Reader

This free RSS reader is able to display any RSS and Atom news feed (XML). Runs under Windows 98/NT/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista.