What
is this? An RSS file is basically a list of headlines encoded so that it can
be easily used by another program or website. RSS is usually said to stand for "Really Simple Syndication" and
it is relatively easy to implement and use. RSS is a form of XML (eXtensible Markup Language), which means that
each piece of data in the list — a headline, a description of a story — is coded separately so that
a program will know exactly what to do with it. Programs that know what to do with Most are very easy to
use. They all let you read headlines from dozens or hundreds of news sites at one time. You simply plug in the
addresses of the RSS files you want, such as the ones listed above. You can either sign up for an online
service, or download the aggregator software and install it on your computer. Once you have done that, right-click
on the 'XML' button above, and choose "Copy Link Location" from the menu, and add it to your aggregator
manually. This is a slightly different process for each aggregator, so look to the help files that come with
it. Some popular downloadable aggregators are FeedDemon
(for Windows), NetNewsWire (for Mac),
Radio (for Windows or Mac),
KlipFolio (for Windows ),
NewsWatcher (for Windows XP),
NewzCrawler (for Windows), and
Shrook (for Mac OS 10).
Pluck integrates right into IE 6.0 on Windows XP and 2000.
If you don't want to install any software, you might try websites that do the aggregation for you.
NewsGator lets
you read online or in your e-mail software (add
your feeds here) while Bloglines offers
a very slick interface. My Feedster marries an aggregator
to an RSS search engine and Oddpost (for Windows) is a paid
web-based e-mail service that includes a built-in aggregator. Yahoo! lets you add RSS feeds to your personalized page.
MSN now has a comparable capability. Other software packages that
work only with Windows and require Microsoft's .NET to be installed on your PC (you probably have it if you have
Windows XP, but if you have to ask, you probably don't want to check) are:
VoxLite,
Wildgrape News Desk,
SharpReader,
BlogExpress, and
RSS Bandit (open source).
If you do want to install new software, you might try the
Firefox Web browser, which lets you save
RSS feeds as "Live Bookmarks" that update regularly (the Sage
extension makes Firefox a more useful aggregator. The Opera
browser integrates support for RSS feeds into its email reader. Other interesting RSS applications:
a ticker called Enewsbar gives you scrolling headlines at the top
or bottom of your screen (Windows and IE required); nntp//rss
lets you read RSS files in Outlook Express or any other newsgroup-reading software
(java required); and ToolButton adds a toolbar to your browser,
with all the headlines for a site under a button. Another thing RSS lets you do is put Herald headlines on your
site, which update themselves automatically when the RSS feeds update. One way
to do this is to use the Feed2JS service.
Enter the URL for one of the Herald's feeds, copy the line of javascript supplied, and simply insert it into
your site's HTML code. Another flexible service is
RSS Digest. If you want to do-it-yourself, WebReference has instructions for
using Perl, and
CaRP uses PHP (as well as offering a low-cost
service where they run the scripts for you). Another PHP option is
LastRSS. For more information on the implications
and uses of RSS, you can read these articles from the Online Journalism Review and the
American Press Institute. For more on using and creating RSS feeds, turn to this
tutorial from the Utah State Government.
Another useful and extensive list of RSS resources is at LockerGnome. Questions or comments? Use our
feedback form.
Copyright Notice RSS files © Copyright 2005 The Durango Herald. These files are offered to
individuals and non-commercial organizations only. Newspapers, magazines, and other commercial websites wishing
to use Herald RSS files, please contact our
sales staff. | 
