RSS and XML - why it's important

[mikmik]

RSS technology is a result of the growth of XML and its ease of use. It allows Webmasters to produce XML news feeds for their sites easily. Those who run reader software can subscribe to and read the feeds. I understood how RSS worked. What I didn't get was who would see the feeds, why they would read them, and what they would do with the links. from here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1544733,00.asp

Your head will begin to spin with speed with all this in the very near future

This is not a pipe dream in the fevered brains of geeks with engineering degrees. Other industries are gearing up for the future too. At January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, manufacturers were showing sets capable of playing games, your entire music or photo archive, and surfing the Web. That kind of magic has been here, in fact, for several years: video-card makers such as ATI Technologies Inc. of Markham, Ont., have been delivering TV signals to computers for six or seven years now, and two years ago Microsoft Corp. introduced its Media Centre Edition, which essentially reduces TV watching to running a software program.

Moreover, noises made by the cellphone industry suggest the skyrocketing use of cellphones, especially those capable of surfing the Net, will drive development of wireless home and office networks, further blurring the lines between technology, data and entertainment

From here:http://www.globetechnology.com/servl...ry/Technology/

Maybe we won't have to get away from tables completely, as fast as I though, but it has been said here before, and I am starting to read it more and more, that you better know what the standards are, and how to code to them at the very least, and soon, I mean start thinking about it, and don't panic - a step at a time, it doesn't take that long, once you get the feel - about two months in my case , to feel quite comfortable. But start thinking soon...

[Keimos]

Hi Mikmik,

Thanks for the thread, RSS might be a year or so old but it is the first I have heard of it.

Looks like an addition to XML readers and possibly a forerunner of XHTML which looks to be ratified in the next year as standard?

Thanks for your insight.

[ranjan]

What I didn't get was who would see the feeds, why they would read them, and what they would do with the links.

Anyone with a feed reader may read the feeds. This allows me to aggregate my favourite feeds in a single platform. I do not have to visit the writers site, wait for the image / html and scripts to load. The links make it possible to a) reference a particular topic by another user and b) make me selectively visit the topic i want to read on the website for further info/etc.

Download a feed aggregator and see how it works for yourself.

[kidsfreesoul]

Originally Posted by ranjan

Anyone with a feed reader may read the feeds. This allows me to aggregate my favourite feeds in a single platform. I do not have to visit the writers site, wait for the image / html and scripts to load. The links make it possible to a) reference a particular topic by another user and b) make me selectively visit the topic i want to read on the website for further info/etc.

Download a feed aggregator and see how it works for yourself.

RSS Feeds means 'Getting Noticed' on worldwide web by Syndicating your contents. I would not like to syndicate all the contents of my website but only my Editor's note and News page, so I can offer the RSS Feeds for the same so that the reader do not have to come to my site daily just to read my Editor's notes.

There are different ways, either one can download the Feed Aggregator and read your fav reads or click to 'Add to My Yahoo' button (www.kidsfreesouls.com has it) and once you click for the Blog, you land up at Yahoo. Once you Add it,the moment you log 'My Yahoo' and set up the features as per your choice, the note Blog also appears down in RSS feature and you can save My Yahoo as Homepage and it's news at your desktop. The moment you log, you can quick glance the happennings, News, read the blog (or anyone's RSS feeds you select) and move to your work. Same goes for the news page (Mine is yet with some error!)

Also, another important thing for webmasters is that when you make a feed, it means more traffic on your website since the search engine Yahoo now is also coming out with Directory Listings and prolly, you must have noticed the results with RSS | Add to my yahoo [Beta]. Syndication helps to attract readers, build awareness for your content, brand and without spending much. It also builds better and stronger relations with your site readers as they get to read as soon as your contents get posted. Millions access search engines like Yahoo and this means attracting new readers too. Moreover, Blogs are in thing on net these days and more websites churn out Blog Listings urls and blogs are read widely, randomly.

Webmasters who do not know how to create XML.RSS and lack html coding, I guess sites like www.feedster.com makes it easier with some practical knowledge. This is rather 'Self Learning' simple and easy, reading the help files. However, there still some loopholes around which you can resolve with lil bit experience.

RSS itself is 'Real simple syndication' and a 'Way to Go' to hit the Internet Wall, calling for Broad Audience - Ahoy! Sail net Ashore....

- Blossomsmile ilaxi
Edited my mod Webnauts. Links to you web site may only be in your signature.