Can anyone explain RSS to me?

[LaylaMonroe]

NOT B3W, though.    (no offense, but you always leave me more confused than I was when I started, so uhhh...)

I'm trying to figure out what RSS is and how it works. I googled it, but I still don't get it. I'm hoping for an explanation in layman's terms... maybe on a 2nd grade level or so...

[4hisglory]

RSS puts your data into a "standard" format which allows other people an easy way to use it (like in syndication).

Example (LGM RSS Feed)
http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php?type=rss;action=.xml

[sjonathan02]

NOT B3W, though.    (no offense, but you always leave me more confused than I was when I started, so uhhh...)

I'm trying to figure out what RSS is and how it works. I googled it, but I still don't get it. I'm hoping for an explanation in layman's terms... maybe on a 2nd grade level or so...

PPPPPPPPWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

[chevonee]

PPPPPPPPWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

[JustBritt]

LOL!

[JustBritt]

LOL! I'd be offended.

[sjonathan02]

LOL! I'd be offended.

Of course you would. 

[LaylaMonroe]

LOL! I'd be offended.

He won't be. Fortunately, he's not easily offended, and furthermore he knows it's true! LOL! I think most of the time, he does it on purpose.  

RSS puts your data into a "standard" format which allows other people an easy way to use it (like in syndication).

Example (LGM RSS Feed)
http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php?type=rss;action=.xml

Okay, that was like 7th grade... lol. Let me ask a couple of questions to break it down all the way, if I may. How would one use it? Where would one put it? How does it benefit the user?

Wait, better question, why click on that RSS link as opposed to just clicking on www.learngospelmusic.com/forums? I'm asking because I just started a blog this week, and I put the little RSS icon in the top, as I've seen in most other blogs. But I'm not sure what users would use it for...  Also, I subscribed to a blog this week, and it also has the RSS link at the top. I would like to use it if it would be helpful to me, but I don't know how it's used.

*confused* I guess I would need to see someone use it?

[JustBritt]

I'm just saying lol.

[SirTJ]

I thought RSS was a subscription service. Like it allows you to subscribe to the blog and it sends updates when a new post is made or something like that.

I'm probably way off base.

[LaylaMonroe]

I thought RSS was a subscription service. Like it allows you to subscribe to the blog and it sends updates when a new post is made or something like that.

I'm probably way off base.

I think you're partially right... but the part I don't get is how does it send you updates? Like the blog that I just subscribed to, I clicked the RSS link he had in the upper corner, and all it did was show me some URL. What am I supposed to do with that?? And what are people supposed to do with the RSS link on my blog??

[under13]

I thought RSS was a subscription service. Like it allows you to subscribe to the blog and it sends updates when a new post is made or something like that.

I'm probably way off base.

I think its something like that, but you put in specific words, and when those words show up in a blog or on ebay or craigslist it will notify you via email right away. i think

[LaylaMonroe]

Ohhhhhhkay, I get it now.  Just in case anyone is interested, I'll explain it here on 2nd grade level. I found a YouTube video that helped me to "get it." The video was 3 minutes long, and presented in a very elementary, but interesting and demonstrative manner. Funny part is, while I was watching it, I wasn't getting it. I finished the video, closed the window, went to FB and saw the RSS link there taunting me... and miraculously, I got a revelation! LOL! It all just came to me. Seriously.

The missing piece (why we - or I - weren't getting it) is the "reader."

An RSS is a link that shows updates to all your favorite sites. If your favorite sites like Yahoo news, ESPN, CNN, MSNBC, LGM, Facebook, YouTube or your favorite blogs, have an RSS link (icon shown below), you can get automatic updates sent to your "reader".

The purpose of the "reader" is so that you can see all the "new" information posted to your favorite sites all in one place, without having to check for new content on 10 different sites/pages. This is also good for people who don't like subscribing to different sites, giving out their e-mail addresses, or don't want their jobs tracking all the sites they go to, if they're only trying to catch a glance for updates. I'm sure there are other benefits as well, but that's what I plan to use it for.

You can find the "reader" on sites like Google and Yahoo. First, you open a "reader" account. Then, you click on the RSS icon from your favorite site to get the url.  Next, you go back to your reader, and paste the url in your reader under "my subscriptions". And that's it. From then on, you'll be able to go to one place every morning to get all your updates to all your favorite sites.

I'm about to try it now. I'll let you guys know how it works out. Hopefully, it's as easy as I said it is. LOL    This is going to work well for me because I hate reading the intranet at my job, and it has an RSS feed. That way I can just see what's new at a glance and click it only if I want to.

Look for the RSS icon on all your favorite sites!

[LaylaMonroe]

Okay, a beneficial feature of using Google Reader: it allows you to "star" new items to read/view later. That's great for when a favorite site posts a video, but you can't watch videos at work (or for me, I get e-mails saying someone tagged me in something on FB, but I can't see it from work and then by the time I get home, I totally forgot).

Instead of me having to go to it, Google Reader brings it to me! Yayyy!!!

It's billed as "a magazine you design yourself." 

[LaylaMonroe]

Wow. The whole thing took about 5 minutes, and I added all my favorite Yahoo sections, CNN sections, the blogs I follow, FB notifications, and a couple of other things.

This RSS thing has revolutionized my online experience. I'm just mad I never thought to see what it was all about sooner.

[B3Wannabe]

NOT B3W, though.    (no offense, but you always leave me more confused than I was when I started, so uhhh...)

I'm trying to figure out what RSS is and how it works. I googled it, but I still don't get it. I'm hoping for an explanation in layman's terms... maybe on a 2nd grade level or so...

Why you gotta put me out like that? Huh? LOL


Anyway, I had LGM linked to my Facebook account for a while. It would be good the makers of this forum allowed you to get RSS posts from a single user, then I could have my LGM posts go to my Facebook account, or something like that.

[phbrown]

Wow. The whole thing took about 5 minutes, and I added all my favorite Yahoo sections, CNN sections, the blogs I follow, FB notifications, and a couple of other things.

This RSS thing has revolutionized my online experience. I'm just mad I never thought to see what it was all about sooner.

Congratz!!!

Also outlook, and internet explorer also have built in readers.


And if you have vista (I'm sure Windows 7 has it to) you can place a reader directly on your desktop of your computer.


and like you said RSS is really great if you habitually go to a large number of websites everyday just looking for updates.



One of the things I used RSS in the past for was to know when new TV episodes were available to download. (I don't have cable)