User guide

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• Weather and other alerts of changing conditions
• Notification of additions of new items to a database, or new members to a group
One RSS aggregator is all that you need to read all of the RSS feeds, be they headlines, alerts,
changes, or other notifications. RSS is shaping up to be a very popular and useful means for
communicating.
What is RSS?
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is an XML-based format for content distribution on the
Internet. It’s an excellent way for Internet users to get updated news content and online articles -
- the stuff you want -- without having to search for it.
How Does RSS Work?
Basically, when a new article is posted or a change made to a webpage, RSS keeps track of the
changes and delivers them to you. RSS feeds are most often attached to text, images, podcasts
and video, but they can be used with any document (word processing and spreadsheets) that
has content that changes.
Who Benefits From RSS?
Anyone who has been frustrated at the time it takes to find what you want on the Internet can
appreciate the timesaving feature of RSS. If there are web pages you visit daily or regularly –
let’s say you always read the front page of The New York Times and your best friend’s weblog –
RSS eliminate the need to check for updates. Every time something changes on the page, it
comes to you. RSS always shows the most-recent changes.
How Do I Use RSS?
To view RSS feeds, you need an RSS reader (also called an aggregator), which trolls RSS
feeds across the Web to regularly update content. All are pretty easy to use, offering users the
chance to read, e-mail, save or clip content with a click of the mouse. There are many free, web-
based readers, all which compile and update feeds, all which allow anonymous access to their
feeds from any computer with Internet access. For heavier users, there are desktop, application-
based readers that offer more features.
What Can RSS Help Me Do?
One of the original uses for RSS is the ability to create a personal newspaper with new content
updated every morning. Beyond that, on the short list of things RSS can do is make it easy to
search for and organize information about a particular topic, keep up with your kid’s homework,
track packages, find cheap airfares or follow e-Bay auctions and sales. You can get your
horoscope, search for jobs, read your favorite comics, get software updates, keep up with other
people’s schedules and follow calendar listings for your favorite clubs and venues. You can see
what others are saying about your favorite sports teams or keep up with what others are saying
about your favorite (or least-favorite) celebrity. All without surfing through pop-up ads, slow
downloads and poorly navigated sites. RSS saves time. It’s as simple as that.
Can I Access RSS Only Through a Computer? You can access RSS feeds on mobiles device
and many cell phones or via e-mail as well as on a computer.