You know that one friend who is up to date on the latest Internet memes and reads thousands of blogs a day? Ever wonder how do they do it? Would you spend that much time scouring the web for information? The secret comes in by using RSS feeds to quickly read a bunch of content quickly.
Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, is an XML-based standard that lets users subscribe to information that includes updates on blogs, Twitter pages, and even Facebook updates. An RSS feed can include headlines, metadata, and even the entire story, thus giving you the ability to quickly scan a huge number of blogs and choose the ones that are actually important.
To read an RSS feed, you are going to need two things: the RSS URL and a feed reader (often called an aggregator). Readers interpret the feed and show it in a form that is readable. Most websites offer an RSS feed button or your browser has a button that either says RSS or looks like an orange square with three white lines in it.
My reader of choice is the web-based Google Reader because it’s tied to my G-mail account and it lets me read it wherever I have Internet access. On top of that, its mobile website actually works and its tablet website is the only reason I want to buy an iPad (it’s really that pretty). Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer have built in RSS readers that you can subscribe to within the browser.
Recently, it seems like people have moved away from RSS as a technology. Twitter and other social media platforms have given weight to the links that we share and allow people to give commentary instantaneously. Using RSS feeds may seem old-fashioned considering the amount of time you have to put in, but there is definitely value in staying up to date with a lot of sources. RSS feeds are was one of the original “Web 2.0” technologies and it still has a place in our evolving ecosystem of social media.
