The Convenience and Potential of RSS
After being around for a couple of years, RSS, standing for Really Simple Syndication, has hardly caught on to mainstream crowds. Dubbed for “tech-savvy” users only, RSS is being ignored by a ton of people out there - possibly including you. What is RSS? And why the heck should you care?
RSS is what I’d like to call a two-tier system of delivering information. The two tiers compose of the feed and the reader.
The Feed
Each and every regularly-updated website and blog on the Internet should have a corresponding RSS feed. The instant an author publishes a new post on the website or blog, the feed is also updated with the entry. Thus, the feed is constantly updated.
There are many different types of feeds, the variety ranging from feeds that update only with content to feeds that update with video. That’s how services like Miro work.
The Reader
RSS readers (or “aggregators” - a really long word for “to gather in one location”) are definitely a dime a dozen, and all perform pretty well. RSS readers gather the feeds that you have subscribed to together (as you might have inferred) and updates regularly when you are connected to the Internet.
If you’re looking for a simple RSS reader, why not try Google Reader?
…So what?
Up till now, you probably haven’t seen a practical use for RSS feeds. However, here’s where things get really interesting. I know that everyone’s got a set of regulars - a handful of websites and blogs that they just have to drop by everyday for an update. That number could range from as little as two to well into the double (even triple, I daresay) digits. The more websites or blogs you have to check, the more convenient this is going to be for you.
The time spent remembering and navigating these sites alone already takes out a huge chunk of time and doesn’t feel too united, does it? Luckily for you, there’s RSS. Basically, you input the RSS feed URL’s to every website or blog you check regularly into the RSS aggregator and wait for the updates. The feeds update on a regular basis when you are connected to the Internet.
You wanted to subscribe to magazines for free - what is the difference between having the content come to you via a mailbox or an RSS reader?
Where is the Potential?
Where does the potential of RSS lie? When the world finally decides to take RSS seriously and everyone turns into a subscriber, I see many things already taking place on a minor scale:
- Magazines subscriptions are going to drop severely.
- RSS feeds will grow much more profitable with the possibilities of advertising popping in.
- RSS feeds will deliver multimedia, such as music and video.
Are you going to Change?
The days of you going to the library to see the latest magazine or book is over, and the days of information coming to you has just begun. The world has gotten that much smaller. The question is, will you be part of the change? If you will, I also suggest subscribing to the Digital Media Break feed - I know that you could use a break in your day for digital media.
The RSS icon, which you should be used to right now. If not, keep your eyes peeled for this fluorescent orange little icon, you’ll start seeing it everywhere.
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