What Are Feeds?
RSS, XML, Atom, Feeds; are these terms unfamiliar? I’m going to explain as simply as possible what a feed is and why you should use them.
First, this from Wikipedia:
A web feed is a document (often XML-based) which contains content items with web links to longer versions. News websites and blogs are common sources for web [...]
RSS, XML, Atom, Feeds; are these terms unfamiliar? I’m going to explain as simply as possible what a feed is and why you should use them.
First, this from Wikipedia:
A web feed is a document (often XML-based) which contains content items with web links to longer versions. News websites and blogs are common sources for web feeds, but feeds are also used to deliver structured information ranging from weather data to “top ten” lists of hit tunes to search results. The two main web feed formats are RSS and Atom.
If you want to get into more of the technical side of feeds and RSS, with some historical backing, check out the work of Dave Winer and this article from 2000.
The Simplest Definition Possible
A feed is the basic output of a website’s content. A collection of feeds can be channeled into a feed reader which will create a chronological output.
This can be likened to picking up a newspaper that will show you all the latest news from your favorite sources [Thanks Ned].
Finding Feeds
RSS and feed reading has become much more popular over the last few years and content providers have responded to accommodate these readers. Most sites publish their feed links clearly while your browser is already probably detecting a site’s feed automatically.
This link can be formatted in a variety of ways; ending in .xml of like this site which is just http://crrrg.com/feed
Elsewhere, look for this symbol:
Like the one on the top right of this page, or displayed in your browser’s address bar, this icon usually holds the site’s feed content. You can copy this link or just hit it and your browser will probably go straight to a subscription page where you can choose the feed reader you are using.
Get A Reader
There are plenty of ways to read your subscriptions but the most common are web-based feed readers like Google Reader and Bloglines.
The great thing about using a web-based service is you can keep up to date with your favorite sites, from one page, anywhere with an internet connection.
For a great selection of feed readers and tools available, online and off, check out Mashable.com’s RSS Toolbox.
Why Use Feeds?
The beauty of site feeds lie in the ability to scan through the most recent content of many different sources from one place.
Feeds are versatile and can be patched to almost anything, from feed readers to other websites as well as instant messaging services or mobile phones.
I can keep track of specific topics by subscribing to a selection of feeds of sites that cover said topic and organizing them into specific folders. For example, when I want to see what’s happening in the world of technology, I open my ‘tech’ folder and scan through the latest posts from sites that cover the topic.
Instead of looking through a paged archive for each site, I can now browse speedily through their headlines and scan for articles that interest me.
The Basic
This is the beginning of feed usage. Once you get started and embrace the technology, it is hard not to keep building. Begin with a few of your favorite sites and add to it as you see fit.
The goal isn’t subscribing to as many feeds as possible, but rather to everything that interests you and suits your day-to-day web browsing.
- Get A Reader
- Subscribe to the sites you like
- Read at your leisure.
How would you describe feeds to non-users?
