Do you want to stay up to date with the latest articles and posts on AI Shack? I’ve set up a number of ways you can subscribe to AI Shack and receive updates. The main one that our readers use is RSS. But what exactly is RSS?
What is RSS, or Feeds?
RSS is a relatively new technology that is being used by millions of people. It helps them keep track of their favourite websites, from a single place!
I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea of bookmarks. If you found a site you liked, you bookmarked it. And to check if the site had new content you’d go and check manually. But, there were a few problems with this bookmarks model.
- You need to manually go to every site
- You miss information if you forget a bookmark
- You waste time visiting un-updated websites
- It gets complex if you have a lot of bookmarks
RSS to the rescue!
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. RSS automates all the manual labour you had to do with bookmarks. And it increases your productivity as well.
RSS lets a website inform you that it has new content. Lets say you subscribe to AI Shack by RSS. Whenever I post any content onto this website, you’ll be notified. And you can read it whenever you have time.
A news feed is basically the same thing as RSS. You might find RSS a little weird at first, but once you get used to it, there’s on stopping it!
Oh, and there’s no need to know how RSS works under the hood. It’s just like the internet. Once you know how to use it, you’ll benefit from it a lot!
How do I use RSS?
The first thing to do is get an RSS Reader. There are several options, Bloglines, Google Reader (I use and highly recommend Google Reader). These are web applications that let you subscribe to RSS feeds. There are other options too, some are desktop based applications as well.
However, all feed readers work somewhat like email. If you click on them, you’ll see your unread entries. You’ll see an option to go to the original website too. You can either go to the website, or move on to the next unread entry (marking the previous one as “read”).
How do I find feeds?
Today, almost every website supports RSS feeds of some type. Here are two ways you can find feeds and subscribe to them:
Online
Whenever you see an icon like the ones on the right, you know the website has RSS feeds.
All you need to do is copy the link of this button, and paste it in your feed reader. And you’ll be subscribed!
It’s as simple as that, and you don’t need to give away your email! So this method guarantees no spam, even from the worst websites!
Browser subscription
Today’s browsers can discover feeds automatically. Check the address bar, and you’ll see an RSS icon. Click it, and you’ll see the feeds the current website offers (yes, a website can have multiple RSS feeds… for example, one for content, one for comments, etc).
You may have to configure your browser if you want to use Google Reader or Bloglines as your feed reader. Otherwise, the feeds will open in the built in reader.
Sounds complex?
Don’t worry! Almost all websites that offer RSS feeds also offer other familiar methods, like email! You can subscribe to AI Shack via email as well!
Further reading
What is RSS Oprah style
Getting started with RSS
Internet: Useful Tips:
RSS In Plain English
