Really Simple Syndication or RSS is a family of file formats that allows users to quickly and easily view and update news and other newly released online content from a variety of sources. In short, it obviates the need for the user to make the effort to check a particular website for updates.
To use RSS, all you need are two simple things:
1. An RSS reader, which is basically software for reading RSS content (known as feeds). You can either use your web browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer 7, as well as other browsers that natively support RSS feeds), or you can download a special software for reading RSS feeds (more on that below).
2. An RSS feed, which is a link to a web page with XML code supplied by various websites that can only be read by an RSS reader. In order to view the RSS feed, copy the RSS feed page address into the appropriate location in the RSS reader.
Downloading RSS reader – if you do not have an RSS reader, you need to download one. There are currently numerous free and commercial RSS readers (also called news aggregators). Click on these links (Wikipedia, AllRSS) for a comprehensive list and a comparative table.
Important note: Not all RSS readers support RSS feeds with images. Since TFOT's feeds include images, it is highly recommended that you take advantage of an RSS reader that supports this feature, such as Google-reader (free) or FeedDemon (free trial).
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| This is how The Future of Things RSS looks like (using FeedDemon) |
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