What is RSS?

"RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. Really Simple Syndication is probably the most widely agreed-upon choice. Both acronyms do an inadequate job of describing what RSS actually is:

RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content.

Using this standard, Web publishers provide updates, such as the latest news headlines or weblog postings. Meanwhile, consumers use RSS reader applications (or one of a growing number of online services) to collect and monitor their favorite feeds in one place (RSS content from a publisher, viewed in one of these readers, is often called a "feed").

Consumer Bottom Line: RSS makes reviewing a large number of sites in a very short time possible.

Publisher Bottom Line: RSS permits instant distribution of content updates to consumers.

Who publishes RSS feeds?

Some of the biggest names on the web now offer content using RSS feeds:

• USATODAY.com
• BBC News Headlines
• CNET
• Yahoo!
• ...and many more!

In addition, thousands of weblog authors publish feeds to keep themselves better connected to their readers/admirers/critics. Blogs are a driving force behind a recent surge of interest in RSS and syndicated content.

How do I read RSS Feeds?

If you want to collect and browse feeds you have many choices, but the easiest and sometimes most convenient is to make use of your web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox). If you really want to explore other alternatives, there are many desktop applications for Windows and Mac OS system users including RSSReader (free), Newz Crawler, Feedreader, FeedDemon, NetNewsWire (for mac), among many others. You can also use an online service to track and manage your feeds, which gives you the advantage of being able to access your feed updates anywhere you use a web browser.

Once you begin using a news reader or your browser as a reader, it will "pull" content for you every time a page is updated -- it allows you to see all the new content on a given page with a click of a mouse. With most news aggregators, you don't even have to visit the websites where you have subscribed to RSS feeds; you can see all the new content in one location. RSS Feeds are often indicated by links that say "RSS," "Syndicate this site" or a square orange button with the text 'RSS' or 'XML' within it, like this:

How Do I Use the DeltaWeatherCam.com RSS Feed?

In order to receive the DeltaWeatherCam.com feed, first you must decide whether to use your Internet browser or select a RSS aggregator or reader utility.

To add the DeltaWeatherCam.com feed to your list of RSS feeds, click on the RSS button .

In some older browser windows you may see the XML code. This is raw code that is not meant to be viewed in your browser and can be ignored, if it displays at all. In newer browsers the feed can be added by following the instructions on the page. If your browser doesn't give you instructions on how to add the feed, copy the URL link in the address window in your internet browser and place that URL link into your RSS aggregator program. Alternatively, you can copy the following web addresses and place this into your news aggregator or reader.

http://DeltaWeatherCam.com/wwnet.xml

You have now added the DeltaWeatherCam.com RSS feed to your aggregator and will receive updates as frequently as every two minutes. You can view a sample page of the information displayed by the DeltaWeatherCam.com RSS feed. Note that your data display will be controlled by your choice of RSS Readers, but will contain the same data elements shown in this sample display.

And finally, some technical details

RSS is based on XML, a widely used standard for textual information exchange between applications on the Internet. RSS feeds can be viewed as plain text files, but they're really designed for computer-to-computer communication. We should point out that RSS is just one standard for expressing feeds as XML. Another well-known choice is Atom. Both formats have their boosters, and it does not appear that consolidation toward a single standard is imminent. However, most RSS users simply want fresh content and don't care at all about the underlying protocol.