What is an RSS News Feed?
What is RSS?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a way to easily distribute a list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to a wide number of people. It is used by computer programs that organize those headlines and notices for easy reading.
RSS is a better way to be notified of new and changed content. Notifications of changes to multiple websites are handled easily, and the results are presented to you well organized and distinct from email.
How does RSS work?
RSS works by having the website author maintain a list of notifications on their website in a standard way. This list of notifications is called an "RSS Feed". People who are interested in finding out the latest headlines or changes can check this list. Special computer programs called "RSS aggregators" have been developed that automatically access the RSS feeds of websites you care about on your behalf and organize the results for you. (RSS feeds and aggregators are also sometimes called "RSS Channels" and "RSS Readers".)
What information does RSS provide?
RSS provides very basic information to do its notification. It is made up of a list of items presented in order from newest to oldest. Each item usually consists of a simple title describing the item along with a more complete description and a link to a web page with the actual information being described. Sometimes this description is the full information you want to read and sometimes it is just a summary.
What will you need in order to subscribe to an RSS news feed?
You will need an RSS aggregator program, some of which are available online as software for free.
Think of an RSS aggregator as just a web browser for RSS content. RSS aggregators automatically check a series of RSS feeds for new items on an ongoing basis, making it is possible to keep track of changes to multiple websites without needing to tediously read and re-read each of the websites yourself. They detect the additions and present them all together to you in a compact and useful manner. If the title and description of an item are of interest, the link can be used to quickly bring the related web page up for reading.
There are many RSS aggregators available. Some are accessed through a browser, some are integrated into email programs, and some run as a standalone application on your personal computer. For example: Mac users who use Safari as their browser have an integrated RSS tool, allowing them to access the feed with just a click of the "RSS" button. Others may need to download "RSS Reader" software to see the benfits of the news feed.
Where can you find an RSS Reader?
Here is a link to PC World's website, where a list of RSS Readers and reviews on the available titles can be found: http://www.pcworld.com/zoom?id=116018&page=7&type=simplechart&zoomIdx=8
What is "My Yahoo" RSS?
You can also use your Yahoo! account to receive our RSS Feed. If you have a Yahoo! account, the Orthopedics This Week RSS News Feed can be automatically added to the "My Yahoo" page within your account. Clicking on this button will automatically add our feed to your Yahoo! page, and the latest news posted to our website will update automatically within this RSS Feed panel in your Yahoo! account.
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