RSS Introduction
Basic Knowledge You Should Have
Before proceeding with your studies, you need to have a basic understanding of the following:
- HTML / XHTML
- XML / XML Namespaces
If you wish to learn these topics first, please visit our homepage for tutorials.
What is RSS?
- RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication
- RSS allows you to aggregate content from websites
- RSS defines a very simple way to share and view titles and content
- RSS files can be automatically updated
- RSS allows for personalized views for different websites
- RSS is written in XML
Why Use RSS?
RSS is designed to display selected data.
Without RSS, users would have to visit your website daily to check for new content. This is too time-consuming for many users. With an RSS feed (commonly referred to as a News feed or RSS feed), users can use an RSS aggregator to quickly check for updates on your site (an RSS aggregator is a website or software that collects and categorizes RSS feeds).
Because RSS data is small and loads quickly, it can easily be used by services like mobile phones or PDAs.
Websites with similar content can easily share content among them, making these sites more prominent and valuable.
Who Should Use RSS?
Web administrators with rarely updated content do not need RSS!
RSS is very helpful for websites that update frequently, such as:
- News sites - Listing news titles, dates, and descriptions
- Companies - Listing news and new products
- Calendars - Listing upcoming events and important dates
- Site updates - Listing updated or new pages
The Future of RSS
RSS will be everywhere!
Thousands of websites are using RSS, and more people are recognizing its usefulness every day.
Through RSS, information on the Internet will be easier to find, and website developers can more easily spread their content to specific audiences.
Advantages of RSS
| | Choose Your News<br> With RSS, you can select the news you want to view, news that interests you, and information relevant to your work. |
| | Eliminate Unwanted Information<br> You can use RSS (finally) to separate wanted information from unwanted information (spam)! |
| | Increase Your Website Traffic<br> With RSS, you can create your own news channels and publish them on the Internet! |