RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a system that allows readers to receive “feeds” of new content broadcast from various online sources without having to visit each site individually. It’s akin to subscribing to a magazine and having each new issue delivered to your mailbox rather than walking to the store to see if there is a new issue available.
By using an aggregator, you can subscribe to any RSS feeds you want and have them all show up in one place. This includes feeds for your favorite blogs, news sites, journal tables of contents, and even automated literature searches. In this series of posts on RSS, I will describe how hackademics can use RSS feeds and an aggregator to substantially increase their access to information that interests them while actually saving time.
To start, here is a very straightforward introduction to what RSS feeds are all about. It was created by the crafty folks over at Commoncraft.
In order to read RSS feeds, you need an aggregator. A list of desktop and web-based aggregators is available in Wikipedia. The most popular online aggregators include Google Reader, Bloglines, and Netvibes. You can also install a desktop aggregator that does not require you to open a webpage. Free examples include FeedReader, Feed Demon, and RSSOwl. Recent versions of email programs like Outlook and Thunderbird also include feed reading functions.
I personally use Google Reader along with iGoogle (the subject of a later post). Here’s another Commoncraft clip, this time explaining Google Reader.
Generally speaking, subscribing to a new feed is as simple as clicking on the “RSS”, “XML”, “Atom”, or other “Subscribe” link or the RSS symbol. For example, you will notice this link on the right menu bar:
Subscribe to feedClicking on the link will bring up options for subscribing to this site’s RSS feeds, which means you will never miss new content when it is posted — including more posts about RSS feeds.
