What Is RSS Feeds And How To Use It

Published: 2021-05-31
Views: 611
Author: Editorial
Published in: Internet

RSS stands for "rich site summary" or "straightforward syndication," depending on who you ask.

RSS, at its core, refers to simple text files containing necessary, up-to-date information — news stories, articles, and the like.

This pared-down content is fed into a feed reader. It is an interface that converts RSS text files into a stream of the latest news from around the web.

What Is An RSS Feed And How Do I Make One?

The good news is that you may never need to learn how to code an RSS feed.

Granted, you must be hosted on one of the major publishing platforms – WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, Movable Type, or Radio – as they all include RSS feeds.

These feeds are updated automatically as new posts are published on the website, providing a level of automation that makes life much easier. Moderators can also install RSS plug-ins to keep an eye on a conversation in the comments in real time.

In a metaphorical sense, custom-built websites are left to the “wolves to devour”. Owners must roll up their sleeves and build an RSS feed from the ground up.

Thankfully, even if you have no prior coding experience, XML is a simple language to learn. You only need to learn a few tags, and the Internet is brimming with resources to help you in building an RSS Feed.

The creation of two nodes is required for an RSS feed. A top-level static channel (think of it as your site's calling card), followed by a node for the individual published items.

Feed validator

After creating the two nodes, run your code through a validation tool like Feed Validator to make sure everything is working properly behind the scenes, and you're done.

How to Use Them RSS Feeds in Google Chrome

An RSS feed reader or aggregator is required to subscribe to RSS feeds from websites. Although Chrome doesn't have one built-in, you aren't without options.

Instead, you'll need to install a Chrome extension. The RSS Subscription Extension was created by Google and is available in the Chrome Web Store.

RSS Subscription Extension

The following is how it works:

The RSS Subscription Extension is available for download and installation.

• Select "Options" from the extension icon in the Chrome toolbar.
• Select one of the available feed reader options, then click "Add."
• You should also check the box that says, "Always use my default reader when subscribing to feeds." Keep in mind that you'll need to sign up for one of the RSS readers for free.
• Then go to the website that has an RSS feed. Then, on the toolbar, select the RSS extension.
• Select “Click to subscribe [site name]” from the drop-down menu.
• Finally, when your RSS reader opens, click "Add Site," and the website's RSS feed will begin to run.

List of popular RSS Feeds

The following is a list of popular RSS feeds.

The lists could be organized by general product categories, such as home and garden products, pet products, kitchen products, cleaning products, home appliances, and so on.

It can as well be by brands, categories, and subcategories of specific types of products and services. These lists could be used to compare products, track the launch of a new product on the market, or track promotions.

• CNN.com – Top Stories – The top stories from CNN
• BBC News – World – Limit yourself to the World news section of BBC
• Explosm.net – Raunchy and controversial webcomic. They also have video series on YouTube
• xkcd.com – The legendary comic about science, social commentary, and everything in between
• CSS-Tricks – One of the authorities on all things web development related
• Engadget RSS Feed – Tech news publication, one of the best and well known. Great reviews of gadgets and industry news
• BBC News – Home – One of the classic web news portals from the British public service broadcasters
• Slashdot – News for nerds. A website aggregating tech-related news. Come for the news, stay for the comments
• Scott Hanselman’s Blog – Blogs about programming and news related to C# and .NET
• Reuters: Technology News – Reuters Technology news feed
• NYT > Home Page – NYTimes is one of the most awarded newspaper publications around
• NYT > Business Day – Business News from The New York Times
• Reuters: Top News – International news agency with breaking news – Their Top Newsfeed
• Reuters: World News – Reuters World Newsfeed
• Reuters: Business News – Reuters Business news feed
• Mashable – Tech and media news blog about startups, technology and media
• Order of the Stick – Great satire webcomic of role-playing games and medieval fantasy
• The Verge – Another contender for the greatest tech news and gadget reviews. Run by the VOX Network
• Polygon – Great game-related news from the VOX Network
• Vox – Contemporary news brought to you by the VOX network. Very insightful news

The use of RSS lists in online marketing is a good example. RSS lists are extremely useful for synchronizing information flow in businesses.

Reference:

Feeder