RSS: A "Really Smart System" For Sending And Receiving Content Online

by: Syed ibrahim
"RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content. Using this standard, web publishers provide updates, such as the latest news headlines, special announcements, press releases or weblog postings through their RSS content, which is also known as RSS "Feed".What’s good about RSS is that anyone can start using it, whether a small business marketer or a large publisher.Many Internet users are steadily switching to RSS reading applications (also known as aggregators) to collect and monitor their feeds in one place. RSS makes it possible for anyone to review large number of sites within a short period of time.On the other hand, RSS allows publishers an instant widespread distribution of their content to consumers. So you want to know who publishes RSS feeds? Some of the biggest names on the Internet now offer content via RSS.* Yahoo!* MSN * CNET* BBC News Headlines* ABC News* CNN News* Amazon.com* E-week.com* Plus...many, many more!I guess you want to know the reason why I love RSS technology so much. I’m saying this as a reader and not as a publisher.Let me count the reasons:1. No spam 2. No ads 3. No more clutter in my inbox 4. No more mails taking up a huge amount of space in my inbox.5. No more saving newsletters to "read later" that I know will just clutter up my inbox and probably never get read (or even get deleted)6. No more emails loaded with huge images and HTML, which take ages to download and in the process clog up my connection making it ultra-slow.7. Being able to go and catch up on my favorite newsletter or blogs anytime I feel like it - just like relaxing and reading a newspaper.Can you add any more reasons here? Maybe we can make this the longest "Why I Love RSS" list there is ;)In addition to this, thousands of weblog authors publish feeds to keep themselves connected to their readers. Weblogs, popularly known as blogs, are a driving force behind the recent surge in interest for RSS and syndicated content. Many experts believe that in the near future, the number of top-tier sites not syndicating any content will be in the minority.However, if you're interested in collecting and browsing feeds, you have a multitude of choices. There are primary two categories of feed reading applications: installable desktop programs and online aggregators. There are many desktop applications for Windows and Mac OS X system users, but two of the most popular ones are www.FeedDemon.com (Windows) and www.Ranchero.com/NetNewsWire (Mac OS X). However, both require a small purchase price, but are at ahead in the class of user-friendliness. They come pre-loaded with dozens of feeds, so you can start exploring the syndication "universe" immediately. Free readers like www.rssreader.com are also available online. Performing a simple search on google for “Free RSS Reader” will give you enough results.However if you are publisher or a webmaster, searching for a service to publish your own feeds, then www.rapidfeeds.com is what I recommend. This service is a free and is just like a gold mine for both webmasters and publishers who want to quickly create, publish update and even track their RSS feeds from anywhere in the world. However the site is still new and is in its growing stages (Beta Version) and is promising to add more new and interesting features in the near future. The site is completely professional and gives a valuable service for all. They even offer some basic RSS metrics like how many unique hits and click – throughs your feed is getting. As I learn from their FAQ page, they might introduce new useful features soon, but for a price.