RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works - such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video - in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed" or "web feed") includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. RSS allows users to avoid manually inspecting all of the websites they are interested in, and instead subscribe to websites such that all new content is pushed onto their readers when it becomes available.
Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. Feeds benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate (combine) feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. AFA-Seidel Chapter website now employs a News Feed. Just subscribe to the feed and see the latest news and/or updates to the site and updated documentation. After you install an RSS Feed Reader, subscribe to this Chapter's feed by clicking on the RSS icon, directly under "FOLLOW US", below.
A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed's
URI (Uniforn Resource Identifier) or by clicking a feed icon in a web browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds. If you are hesitant, watch this
RSS in Plain English video on YouTube (3 minutes, 44 seconds). Please note: the example in the video - Google Reader - no longer exists; however, it was just a reader, like the examples listed in the "Recommended Readers", below.
Recommended Readers
Windows -
RSSOwl (free) &
SharpReader (free), and MS Outlook (part of MS Office, NOT free)
Mac -
NetNewsWire (no longer free),
RSSOwl (free),
Vienna (free - what the Webmaster uses), Safari, Mail, and MS Outlook (part of MS Office for Mac, NOT free - Intel only)
Various IOS (iPhone & iPad) and Android apps (usually costs per month or year for "feed services")
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