Do I need to get one now? Will all forumosans have one, or only the cool ones? Does it hurt?
Damn glad you posted this Q.
I would like to know what an “RSS” is also.
You don’t need one, only the cool ones will have one, I bet MiltownKid has one. It doesn’t hurt, unless you poke yourself in the eye with one.
They’re always in bright red, so I wouldn’t press it, you don’t know what it will do.
Damn, but you guys are dumb! RSS is a “feed” of course.
Now I expect you’ll be asking “what’s a `feed?’” To which I can categorically state: “I don’t have the slightest idea.”
I’ll tell you though, it’s irritating because they look like the “new” entries on porno sites and suchlike, which makes clicking on them very tempting. Pretty sure there won’t be any titties though.
…oh.
Let me attempt to explain this the simple way…
RSS is a new type of coding in websites that have information that is updated often. It alows readers to filter new content directly to their email inboxes, cell phones, pda’s, etc.
RSS has actually been around since 1997, but hasnt caught on until recently.
How do you use it? That depends on the software or email system you are using. Check with your email provider to see if their service can filter RSS content. If they do, you can have updated information for specific RSS feeds sent right to your mail box.
Is it useful? IMHO…not really, at least not for me. NOTE TO MODERATORS & FORUMOSA DEVELOPERS: The RSS icons / links on this site are a bit distracting and annoying. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but its a bit much. Just my 2 cents.
It stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” Searching google will give you a lot of pages that explain. I’ll try too.
I tried clicking on some just now and none of them worked. I started using RSS once, then I stopped. If you’re using Firefox and never messed with the bookmarks they have in that bookmark bar (like me :P), one is “Getting Started” and the other is an RSS news feed. Click it and you’ll see that there’s a bunch of new news in there.
Like Derek said it’s for websites that are updated often, so if there’s a blog you like to read you could (in Firefox) bookmark the blog’s RSS and whenever there’s a new post (or couple posts) they’ll show up in the bookmark automagically (so you don’t have to go to the site every day.)
It’s actually really cool when you figure it out and a lot of sites use it. You could, for instance, sign up for the CNN technology RSS and get new technology news every day (you’ll see the headlines) see one you like and click on it. If you’re not using firefox you’ll need to get an RSS reader.
Here go some sites to get you started:
[quote][url=http://www.webreference.com/authoring/languages/xml/rss/intro/]What is RSS?
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a distributable “What’s New” for your site. Originated by UserLand in 1997 and subsequently used by Netscape to fill channels for Netcenter, RSS has evolved into a popular means of sharing content between sites (including the BBC, CNET, CNN, Disney, Forbes, Motley Fool, Wired, Red Herring, Salon, Slashdot, ZDNet, and more). RSS solves myriad problems webmasters commonly face, such as increasing traffic, and gathering and distributing news. RSS can also be the basis for additional content distribution services.[/url][/quote]
…oh.
Sandman said it was for feeding, so how do I get food out of it ?
It’s only for feeding cats, you eejit.
Okay so I don’t know what it is or what it does or how to use it. But I want one. How can I get me one. How much does it cost. Whatever it costs, it’s not enough.
7
The idea is you subscribe to web sites: news, blogs, forum threads. Instead of going to a site, you get information delivered to you. Thru
an RSS Reader - NetNewsWire (mac), lots more for mac or windows
an online reader - Bloglines or the ones by News.com or Google
your browser - FireFox (thru a plugin), Safari, or IE7.
Go to a site like:
click the RSS icon and you get:
bookmark it and get updates. notice the bookmark bar; it shows the number of new items.
A well designed site should make the feeds browser detectable. So any forum or thread here you go to, subscribe to that feed and you’ll get updates for that forum or thread.
Thank you Gary. I don’t think I want an RSS after all. It smacks of effort.
How about one the these things? 
I’ve only read a little bit about RSS and I’ve have an idea to ask the bloggers at ParentPages.net if I can feed their blog entries to my site for instant content. 
That can be done, right?
I think you need to have one of these things: . They have replaced the RSS due to their technological superiority.
Now there is a link that says Create Your Own RSS feed. I did it. Now I have my own RSS feed. I don’t know where it is or what to do with it but I got it.
Feeddemon is a great feed reader (costs money tho).
TopStyle Pro…their CSS / XHTML / HTML Editor, good stuff too.
I noticed something about phpBB. I’m going to try to get a note from my doctor so I don’t have to get it.