In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web.
Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day. It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn’t it?
Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time … without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually.
This utopia is available through a newsreader and RSS!
A feed reader, also known as an RSS reader, allows you to subscribe to many websites or blogs, and get updates to them all in one place. You'll see which of your subscribed sites have something new. The feed reader will list headings and summaries of new blog entries or news items at sites you've subscribed to.
It's now much easier to keep up, especially with sites and blogs that aren't often updated. The reader will also keep track of which items you've read, and allow you to flag old items to come back to later.
To be able to subscribe to a site in a feed reader, the site must have a news feed. Virtually all blogs have a news feed. That even includes your own blog, and this one! Many other websites have news feeds too.
A news feed is usually indicated by this orange icon:
Alternatively, it may sometimes be referred to as "RSS", "Atom" or "XML", still often with an orange button. 
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Your Task
- Read up on RSS and how it works.
- Set up Google Reader, a popular feed reader. It uses the same login details as your Blogger account!
- Blog about how you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life. Perhaps even think about how can libraries use RSS to engage patrons.
What's next?
If you've managed to set up a feed reader, congratulations! Now you'll just need to add some subscriptions.
In the next couple of tasks, we'll guide you through the process of adding some subscriptions to your feed reader.
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1 comment:
useful tool
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