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What is RSS?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

It is a format for syndicating news and the content of news-like sites, including major news sites like CNN amd BBC, as well as personal weblogs.

RSS is based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language), the specialized Web page language that provides structured data to Internet-based applications. If you looked at an XML file with your browser, it would look like raw code, but when viewed through other programs, it provides the basis for a variety of information flows across the Web.

Individual users can get headlines and summaries along with links to the places where the stories originate. News aggregators are very popular in the weblogging community, as they allow users to be able to keep up with their favorite weblogs by checking their RSS feeds and displaying the new items.

The Nation website also provides this service. News is syndicated via RSS: the "recent changes" page of The Nation website. Once information about each item is in RSS format, an RSS-aware program can check the feed for changes and react to the changes in an appropriate way.

Who uses RSS?

RSS has gained in popularity especially with publishers and users. For publishers, RSS is a way to present structured information. For users, RSS is a tool for getting content where, when and how they want it without surfing those websites they usually visit.

Webmasters using RSS are seeing increased traffic to their sites. With RSS, they now have the ability to gather and distribute news in a more timely fashion.

How does RSS work?

Instead of your searching the Internet for information, RSS brings it right to your computer, in the format that you desire, where, when and how you want it.

You typically download and install an RSS newsreader or aggregator, then subscribe to your favorite websites from a directory list of thousands.

The program collects news in the background at user configurable intervals and warns with a little popup in the system tray that there is a new message arrived.

When you sign on, you will see the most recent updates for each channel where you subscribed. Once you are signed on, you will see headlines, a summary, and sometimes the entire story and a photo or two. You can even click on a link and delve further into the site and go to the original source. Many programs run inside Web browsers while others are standalone programs.

How to install RSS reader?

Step 1: Download RSS reader. The program is available at these websites:

- RSS Reader (

- RSS Bandit (

- Sharp Reader (

- Mozilla Thunderbird (

- Microsoft Outlook (

Step 2: RSS XML file created by publisher is called the feed, which is the container into which messages are sent. The XML file has a URL associated with it, just like any other Web page.

Open the program and then add the feed by clicking the icon Add. Type the url in the field. Example:

Copy URLs to RSS Reader

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Step 3: After the publisher adds entries to the XML file, the recipient will get messages with three parts: headlines, a summary and a message body. The headlines and the summary are added directly to the XML file, along with an entry date. The message body is an HTML file that is referenced in the entry.