CSUSB News RSS Feed
This page contains an introduction to RSS and information on how to use this technology to your advantage. The CSUSB News RSS feed can be found here.
What is RSS?
The acronym RSS most commonly stands for "Rich Site Summary" or "Really Simple Syndication." RSS is a method of publishing information online. At the heart of the technology is a markup language, XML, which formats documents in a standardized way across the entire planet.
RSS is a particular kind of XML document and has come to be called a "news feed." Essentially, the feeds can contain a summary and links of the new content on a Web site or anything else a creator desires to share. A website may publish an RSS feed that contains all of its latest content. Anyone — an online surfer or another Web site — can consume the RSS feeds and with the appropriate software display the information in an easy to read format.
What is the advantage of using RSS?
For surfing the Web, the advantage of RSS is simple: it can greatly reduce the time spent browsing for content that interests you. Instead of having to visit a favorite Web site to see if it has been updated, any new or updated content will appear in your feed which is checked at regular intervals for updates. Most RSS feeds contain a basic set of information like links, headlines, or a brief synopsis of the new content. From this information you can then choose to click through and view the full page.
Which Online Sites Use RSS?
RSS has become extremely widespread and it's use is continuing to grow. Today, nearly all major sites that provide news or content offer RSS feeds. You'll also find most Blogs — short for Weblogs — also offer RSS feeds as a standard part of the weblog software. Keep an eye out on sites you visit often to see if they offer this service.
What Do I Need to Receive RSS Feeds?
First, you need a feed reader, also called an RSS aggregator. There are many options available to choose from but it is important to find one that meets your needs. Some readers are web-based so you can access your feeds from anywhere you have internet access. Other readers are installed and run on your computer while others are integrated with email clients like Outlook and Thunderbird.
List of Popular Feed Readers
Web-based
Desktop-based
A more complete list can be found here.
Subscribing to RSS Feeds
Once you've obtained a feed reader, subscribing to an RSS feed is as simple as looking for the feed. Most Web sites that publish an RSS feed will display a tiny orange box or button labeled "RSS" or "XML." Click the button and your Web browser typically goes to a page of cryptic code. Just copy the Web "address" or URL of that page and plug it into your feed reader. The software will then automatically retrieve and display that site's latest information. The newest web browsers are also increasing their built-in support for handling RSS feeds.
