What is RSS?

Broadcasting Content

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, but from some accounts that isn’t simple enough.  Having a name with the words Really Simple in it doesn’t magically make it easy to understand.  That is where this post comes in.  I will explain RSS in non-tech speak and I will do so without using the words REALLY or SIMPLE! 

Think of the RSS process as a TV station.  The crew at the TV station building puts together and tapes content.  They then send this content out to anyone who is watching TV via cables, wireless signals, etc.  The people sitting at home or anywhere else where a TV is at can pick up this signal and watch the content.  The TV station is broadcasting content.

With RSS, you are considered the TV station.  Your blog or website or other content like audio or video is the “Feed”, and anyone who wants to watch, read, listen to that feed subscribes to it.  Just like you could subscribe to my RSS feed by typing in your email address in the box in the top right corner.  If you did that, you would receive an email any time I made a new post.  You can also subscribe to comments on specific posts.

OR

You can also view RSS Feed through a Feed Reader.  You can think of the Feed Reader as the Cable company.  The Reader compiles all the channels you want to read/listen/watch into one tight nice package using a specific magic RSS code that all of those content creators put out.

So, how do you get RSS or send RSS?

From a user’s point of view, you can either do the email or the Feed Reader.  There are several feed readers to choose from, Google has a good feed reader.

As for putting RSS on your site so others can subscribe to your content, most blogging software already comes with RSS magic code built in.  This blog for instance is using WordPress which comes with RSS built in, and I am using a template from Unique Blog Designs that incorporated that magic code into the theme. Click here to visit Unique Blog Designs website!

If you don’t have blogging software such as WordPress, do some searches for applications that will allow you to put RSS onto your site with the software you do have (or convert to a blogging software).

I hope that made RSS a little easier to understand.  You don’t really have to mess with code, or set anything up if you have the right software.  Your message just automatically gets sent to anyone who wants to read it.  The most useful things about RSS is the ability for users to keep track of new posts on many blogs / sites just by visiting their Feed Reader.  That way they don’t have to continually visit sites to see when new content is posted.  Not everyone posts on a regular schedule.

Any questions on RSS? 

Ben
Blogmaster General
Teaching folks how to blog!

Follow me on Twitter @ JohnnyOptimist
Of course, you can always subscribe to my RSS feed.