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RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing Web content. Using an RSS reader, you can view data feeds from various sources including news headlines, weblog entries, and links to full articles.

A more technical definition is provided by Wikipedia: "The RSS formats provide web content or summaries of web content together with links to the full versions of the content, and other meta-data. This information is delivered as an XML file called RSS feed, webfeed, RSS stream, or RSS channel. In addition to facilitating syndication, RSS allows a website's frequent readers to track updates on the site using a news aggregator."

An RSS file is essentially a file written in XML (extensible markup language), the next generation language following HTML. XML is used to manage dynamic content, such as blogs and news feeds. RSS is the standard XML format used to carry specialised information. Each piece of meta-data has its designated field codes, such as title, date, etc... This allows for standardisation from one site to another, allowing users to access content from multiple sites without needing specialised tools. The latest version of RSS is 2.0. A specialised version of RSS is known as Atom, and is used for weblogs (blogs).

Some content on Ecumenism in Canada is available by syndication. We use MovableType to compose this content, and we provide feeds in Atom, RSS 1.0, and RSS 2.0. You may use any of these feeds interchangeably.

How do I access RSS?

RSS/News Aggregators:

RSS/News Aggregators (also called Readers) will download and display RSS feeds for you. A number of free and commercial Aggregators are available for download. Many aggregators are separate, "stand-alone" programs; other services will let you add RSS feeds to a Web page.

Some good RSS/News aggregators:

• Mozilla Firefox - a browser that allows RSS feeds to be added to the bookmarks folder. The syndicated feed regularly renews the bookmarks with the news headlines, or other RSS content. Content is not downloaded until the user selects the item.
• Mozilla Thunderbird - an email management tool, similar to MS-Outlook or Eudora. Thunderbird manages multiple email accounts and news feeds. Allows the user to read RSS content through an email interface.
• Bloglines is an easy-to-use service for subscribing to news feeds, which also lets you publish a blog easily from your feeds. Available in several languages, and supports browsing from a mobile device.
• Feedreader is a freeware Windows application that reads and displays Atom and RSS feeds.
• WinRSS - WinRSS sits quietly in your system tray, periodically checking your favourite sites for updates. When a site is updated, WinRSS displays a summary as a Windows balloon tooltip, which you can click on to open the site. Also, HTML listings are available.
• additional examples are found at Wikipedia's List of news aggregators.

Weblogs:

Another way many people use RSS feeds is by incorporating content into weblogs, or "blogs". Blogs are web pages comprised of usually short, frequently updated items and web links. Blogging as a publishing tool is used for many purposes: traditional journalism, personal journals, group discussions around a topic, and many combinations in-between.

How to add a feed to your RSS reader:

1. Find the RSS Feed that interests you. The feed is a proper URL ending in .xml. It will be probably be indicated with one of the following logos:
2. Right-click on the link.
3. Select Copy Link Location.
4. Paste the link into your RSS reader's address bar.

This page has been developed to assist staff of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism and Prairie Centre for Ecumenism. In addition, we hope that they will be helpful for our colleagues to learn more about internet issues and the development of webpages. If they are also helpful for others on the web, please feel free to explore. Comments or corrections would be appreciated.