Santa Clara University

About RSS

What is RSS?
RSS (an acronym for Really Simple Syndication, or Rich Site Summary, or even RDF Site Summary) is simply a way of subscribing, reading, and organizing news and information at your desktop.

A file format used to share content between systems, RSS is an XML text file format, with standard tags for structure (such as category, title, description, link). This standardized format allows websites to easily share content with other web systems, or client software that can read an RSS file.

How can I use RSS?

Typical applications used to consume or use RSS include:

• Using a program known as a news aggregator to collect, update, and display RSS feeds
  News aggregators (also called news readers) will download and display RSS feeds for you. Several free and commercial news aggregators are available for download. Popular readers include AmphetaDesk, Feedreader, NewsGator/NetNewsWire, and Radio Userland. (Enter "news aggregator" as a search term in your favorite search engine to find more.) Many aggregators are separate, 'stand-alone' programs; other services let you add RSS feeds to a web page.
• Incorporating RSS feeds into blogs. Many people use RSS feeds as a blogging tool, to incorporate content into their blogs (weblogs).

So how do I start?

When you come across the stylized RSS icon like the one on the left (occasionally it will be an orange XML or RSS tag), it means the organization provides its content in a form your news aggregator can deliver. Popular browsers like Firefox automatically identify whether the site you are visiting has a feed (look for the RSS icon in the browser address window at the top of your page).

Follow your aggregator's instructions on adding a feed, and you will be hearing from your favorite sites regularly.