There used to be a time when keeping up with one’s favorite Web sites was simple.  In just a few minutes, it was possible to scan the favorites for anything new and interesting.  As time went by, more and more sites caught my eye; keeping my bookmarks organized became a more daunting task. Suddenly, what used to take just a few minutes was quickly consuming my entire morning. Too many sites, too little time. If only there was a way to get updates sent to me when something on my favorite Web sites was brand new or updated . . .

If this sounds like a problem you are facing, you might want to learn a little bit about RSS, or what some refer to as “really simple syndication.”  What RSS does is carry a summary of content or the full text of a web site as a “feed,” sending new content to subscribers. This delivery of sorts, makes keeping up with your favorite Web site more of a passive activity than an active one.

If you are still having difficulty understanding what an RSS feed is all about, try to conceptualize this process as a “news wire.” News stories travel across the wire to those subscribing to the service. Instead of spending time visiting site after site looking for new content, all of the new content is sent out via RSS to subscribers.

What RSS actually does is provide the framework for anyone to generate a “feed” of their Web site content to the world at large.  This common framework allows for a universal formatting, assuring that everyone who wants an RSS feed can write one, and that anyone who is interested in receiving an RSS feed can. On the receiving end, subscribers use “feed readers” or “aggregators” for viewing RSS feeds. Feed readers and aggregators check a user’s subscribed feeds for new content and then download the information for reading.

If you are interested in using RSS feeds, your first step would be to find yourself a feed reader.  You can find a list of familiar names on this Wikipedia listing worth browsing for the aggregator that best suites your preferences. Then, once you have yourself a reader, just look for the little orange buttons on your favorite web sites.  Get started by subscribing to SummIt and other Valpo feeds.