Fundamentals – What is RSS?

If you’ve ever thought “Wouldn’t it be nice if my favorite website told me when it changed?” then you’re aware of the need for RSS.

Despite being “Real Simple Synidcation” RSS hasn’t quite entered into the non-techie consciousness. It’s unfortunate. It’s probably one of the most important things to happen to the internet in recent history. At its most simple, RSS is a list of items formatted in a special way. The list most often applies to a frequently changing section of a website, but can apply to nearly any content delivered via the internet.

RSS provides a way to “push” content to your subscribers.

Knowledge of RSS is increasing with the adaption of more modern web browsers. If you have a Mac, or run Firefox as a web browser you might already have some limited exposure to RSS. If you’re still running Internet Explorer 6, you’ll have more immediate access when you upgrade to 7. There are many freely available feed readers, but if you’re inexperienced you’ll likely find your browser is the best way to access RSS.

For more information on rss
To subscribe to the RSS feed for recent projects in our portfolio