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http://www.cit.cmu.edu/rss/feed.xml

Have some questions about RSS? Here's some information to help you get started.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and it is is an XML-based format for content distribution on the Internet. In other words, instead of having to go look for items that you are interested in, RSS delivers them to you.

How Do I Use RSS?

You will need an RSS reader (also called an aggregator), which checks RSS feeds across the Web to regularly update content. When the reader finds a new item, it sends that information to any subscriber.

What is a Feed?

When you subscribe to an RSS feed, you will get information from that website "fed" to your computer or to an online reader. A feed is similar to a bookmark in a web browser. If you subscribe to the feed of the CIT home page, for instance, you will always see the latest content from that page in your reader. You can create special search feeds for specific words or phrases, which can be extremely useful for research, or clip content you find for later use or sharing with others. Put another way, a feed is a website that changes.

How Do I See the Information?

You will need a RSS reader or aggregator, as they are sometimes called, to view the content. There are many free, web-based readers, all which compile and update feeds which you can access online from any computer. There are also desktop versions that offer here are desktop, application-based readers that offer more features.

Online readers often allow you to customize a page so that you can receive other information, such as local weather, as well as feeds from blogs, ezines or news sites. You will have to register on most sites and sometimes download software.

Examples of free web readers are:

• Google Reader
• My Yahoo
• Newsgator
• Bloglines
• Pluck
• Sage (Firefox)
• Netvibes

Once you have gotten a reader, it's simple to add the URLs (web site addresses) to the page. The reader checks the URLs everyday to see if there is anything news and feds it to you. It's that simple.