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Ok, fine, RSS does not mean Really Scary Squirrel. RSS basically means Really Simple Syndication. An RSS Feed, or a Really Simple Syndication Feed allows a reader, like yourself and someone called Bes, to view some specific content through a platform and software of almost any choice. For the remainder of this article, the terms RSS, RSS Feeds and Feeds will all mean the same thing: RSS Feeds.

RSS allows Content Delivery in a method of your preference

Imagine I had a show on the street, where I acted very weird, or normal in some people’s view. If you wanted to see me, you would have to come to the street and watch me. I could, however, make a videotape of myself and have that videotape available in libraries, bookstores, movie stores, and also have it shown in movie theatres and on TV. If you choose to watch my performance by watching a videotape at your home, you are watching my show in a manner you want, instead of coming to the street and watching it.

RSS is that video tape. An RSS Feed allows you to view any website content, which makes available its own content via RSS feeds, in any RSS platform and software of your choice. That way, instead of typing “http://www.thereasoner.com” to visit my site multiple times daily, your RSS Feed Reader can show you all the new and latest content that is available on my site, right in your RSS Feed Reader. Not only that, your RSS Feed Reader can also show you updates from multiple websites in a single window, saving you time and space. Thus, instead of you going to a website, the website content is delivered to you. For the remainder of this article, RSS Feed Readers, RSS Readers and Feed Readers will refer to the same thing: RSS Feed Readers.

Types of RSS Feeds

As RSS Feeds got popular, different groups have come up with newer versions of RSS Feed formats, like RSS, RDF, and ATOM. Usually, it does not matter which version or format of an RSS Feed you use or come across. As long as there is an RSS Feed, you can usually view it in an RSS Feed Reader.

How do I find the RSS Feeds on different sites?

The exact location of an RSS feed usually depends on the software being used to power and run a website. Many new RSS Feed Readers automatically determine the location of a website’s RSS Feeds, so depending on your RSS Feed Reader, you may simply point your RSS Feed Reader to a website and the RSS Feed Reader will do all the work.

Here are a few locations where, usually, some specific software-powered websites place their RSS feeds. Every time you see the word “name” below, simply replace it with the domain name of the website, relevant username or relevant member id, to find the appropriate RSS Feed.

• Blog.com
  http://name.blog.com/atom/
  or
  http://name.blog.com/rss
• Blogger/BlogSpot.com
  http://name.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
  or
  http://name.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/

  For example, Jerine’s BlogSpot.com blog rss feed is:
  http://this-is-the-mad-style.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

• LiveJournal

  LiveJournal feeds are available only to people who pay for it, or have specific accounts that come with feeds, and thus LiveJournal acts both as a feed reader and as a feed creator. Typically, the feed url is:

  http://syndicated.livejournal.com/name/

• MovableType powered sites
  http://www.name.com/atom.xml
• MySpace

  MySpace Feeds are currently very buggy, though if they work, here is the link: http://blog.myspace.com/blog/rss.cfm?friendID=name .

• Nucleus
  http://www.name.com/xml-rss2.php
• TypePad
  http://name.typepad.com/my_weblog/rss.xml
• Vox

  http://name.vox.com/library/posts/rss-full.xml
  and
  http://name.vox.com/library/posts/atom-full.xml

  For example, Stacee’s blog on Vox is http://stacey.vox.com/, and the relevant RSS feed url is
  http://stacey.vox.com/library/posts/rss-full.xml

• Xanga
  http://www.xanga.com/name/rss
• Windows Live Space
  http://name.spaces.live.com/feed.rss
• WordPress powered sites
  http://www.name.com/feed/

  For example, Valerie’s site Spoken-For.org is a self-hosted WordPress site, so her RSS Feed address is http://spoken-for.org/feed/. Also, as suggested by Valerie, the following work also:

  http://www.name.com/wp-rss2.php
  or
  http://www.name.com/wp-atom.php

• WordPress.com
  http://name.wordpress.com/feed/

What are RSS Feed E-mail Subscriptions?

Some websites, like FeedBurner, allow website owners to have their website feeds available via e-mail. For example, this very site, The Reasoner, allows you to subscribe to its feed via e-mail also. You simply add your e-mail address to the RSS E-mail subscription list, and if there is any new content, you will be e-mailed any new content from any website with RSS e-mail subscriptions, every 24 hours. RSS Feed E-mail Subscriptions simply e-mail you any new content as it becomes available.

Example of RSS Feed Readers

There are many different kinds of RSS Feed Readers available. Many are free, while some require payments. Generally, RSS Feed Readers are currently divided into two main categories: Online RSS Feed Readers and Offline RSS Feed Readers.

Online RSS Feed Readers

The Online RSS Feed Readers allow you to check different websites feeds while being online on a certain RSS Feed Reader website. All you need to do is visit a website and you can access an RSS Feed Reader online. Usually, you need to be online at all times in order to view feeds in an Online RSS Feed Reader.

Here are some examples of Online RSS Feed Readers:

• Bloglines
• FeedLounge
• NewsAlloy
• Google Reader
• LiveJournal - If I understand this correctly, depending on what your LiveJournal account level is, you can add RSS feeds from different sites into a LiveJournal Syndication and read them via your LiveJournal account.
• NetVibes
• Rojo

Offline RSS Feed Readers

The Offline RSS Feed Readers allow you to check different website feeds by installing a software on your computer. After you run that installed software, you can access the different feeds. Usually, once you download all the updated feeds, you do not need to be online through an Offline RSS Feed reader in order to view the feeds you have already downloaded at a later time.

Here are some examples of Offline RSS Feed Readers:

• FeedDemom
• FeedReader
• Illumio - suggested by John
• ThunderBird - The e-mail client has a built-in RSS Feed Reader too.
• Browsers like Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, etc : the popular browsers can also serve as RSS Feed Readers. Simply click on any RSS link or icon on a website in your browser to see the RSS feed right in your favorite browser.
• NEWSFIRE
• SharpReader
• RSSOwl

Both the Online and Offline RSS Feed Readers download new feeds and any new, updated content of your choice from the websites you select whenever you login or run such RSS Feed Readers.

How do I add feeds to an RSS Feed Reader?

To add feeds to any kind of an RSS Feed Reader, you will usually be required to create a an account, which is also usually free, with the RSS Feed Reader website of your choice. Once you are logged into the online or the offline RSS Feed Reader, simply add the appropriate RSS Feed address for a website, or add the normal website address into the feed reader. Most Feed Readers today can automatically find the appropriate RSS Feed addresses. If you have any questions about specific Feed Readers, simply ask me.

What is RSS itself? Is it a file, is it a software, or what?

Jess asked an excellent question below about what exactly is RSS: a file, software, code, etc, and how it is installed on different systems. Please see my answer below for more details.

Conclusion: RSS really simplifies syndication

There you have it. In one post, you have gone from believing that RSS Feeds meant Really Stupid Squirrels Feeding on something, to thinking that RSS Feeds mean Really Simply Syndication Feeds. I still think RSS Feeds mean Really Scary Squirrels Feeding on scary things, by the way.

If you have any questions, please contact me or post a comment below. I will update this introduction with any questions or information you may have, and give you credit too.

Thank you for reading.

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