RSS for writers
What is RSS?
RSS stands for
Really Simple Syndication.
Syndication, according to dictionary.com, means ‘to publish simultaneously, or supply for simultaneous publication, in a number of newspapers or other periodicals in different places’.
So, RSS is basically a way for a website to supply content which allows it be read from a number of different places. It’s kind of like podcasting for text.
A bit about feed readers
To read this post today, you might have typed www.webstuff4writers.com into your browser address bar. You might have clicked on a link from another website, or found it on a search engine.
Or you may not be visiting web stuff for writers at all. Instead, you may be reading my RSS feed remotely through a web service known as a feed reader.
If you’re reading this post through a feed reader, you won’t see the links on my side bar and you won’t see the comments that people have left – but you will see the text and images that make up the post.
Examples of popular online feed readers include Google Reader, Bloglines and Rojo.
Why subscribe to RSS feeds?
Feed readers save time because they bring the content to you. You can subscribe to a number of different feeds, from a number of different blogs, and read them all in your feed reader. You don’t need to go to the individual sites and check if there have been updates. If a new article has been posted on a blog you subscribe to, then your feed reader will let you know.
You can skim over articles that don’t interest you and – in many of the feed reader programs – highlight ones you want to follow up on.
How to subscribe to feeds
It’s not only blogs that offer feeds. Some of my favourite book-related periodicals, such as the Books section of the Guardian newpaper, also offer syndication of their news online. The Problogger jobs board offers a RSS feed of the latest blogging jobs.
As RSS becomes more widespread, more and more websites are offering an RSS service. You might notice that they mention the word ‘subscribe’ or display an icon like the one shown here. Clicking on the link will either give you the raw feed (this may look disturbingly code-y but all you need to do is to copy the link into the appropriate place in your feed reader) or take you through to a page which asks you which feed reader you’d like to use to subscribe to the feed.
If you’re interested, here’s the link for the webstuff 4 writers feed.
Your thoughts
Do you subscribe to any blogs/news services through a feed reader? If so, how has it affected your web reading habits?
Yep, I sure do use a feed reader. I only just started using it a few months ago, but it is very convenient to help me remember sites I want to keep up to date with, and as you say, only have to visit when there’s something new. It’s perfect for sites like Mashable.com, where there are multiple posts per day, because I can skim through them to see if there’s anything I want to get more info on. If not, I’m done.
How has it affected my habits - I think it has helped me keep up to date on things and keep track of things I’m interested in. The worst is when you find a great site, but then can’t remember where you found it! With my feed reader - problem solved.