Feed, Web Feed, RSS, Atom, Syndication ? Have you seen this shape 
and wondered what it is, what it does or what it is for? It indicates a feed and you can usually click on it to get web site updates (known as subscribing). What is a feed and why should you care? At the basic level a feed is a file much like a text file that contains information you may be interested in. Feeds are rapidly becoming a common and popular way of getting information from feed enabled web sites - subscription is usually free!
Imagine getting your newspaper or magazine (or web site!) and it only contained things you were interested in - no frilly bits (though frilly bits are starting to appear in some feeds!). There are many interest specific sites out there including Blogs on all manner of subjects and many of these sites offer a feed so rather than you having to book mark a site and regularly check for updates you can instead have those updates delivered to you as and when they happen. Some services allow you to receive updates as and when they happen and others will let you also have them in a daily and weekly format. Some feeds contain just a snipped of information that allow you to go to a fuller version if it interests you whilst others will contain the complete article - this is generally down to the site editor to decide. If you no longer want to receive updates from a particular feed you simply delete it from your feed list.
RSS and Atom describe different ways in which the file containing the information is organised. Often this is contained in something called an XML file (which is a text file that uses simple tags for organisation).
You typically need a way of accessing a feed using either a program or an online service, there are a number of ways of accessing feeds including:
- Later versions of Outlook
- Directly through a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox)
- Bloglines
- Google Reader
- Email - using a site specific email subscription service
Feeds are very useful and, once you are subscribed to a feed, allow you to obtain information quickly without having to trawl through web sites.
Other sites talking about Web Feeds include:
- What is a RSS Feed?
- Web feed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Google: Feed 101
- News feeds from the BBC
To subscribe to the feed for this site simply click on the orange symbol
9 responses so far ↓
1 Subscribe to the Monk and his I.T. Junk feed | Monk and his I.T. Junk // Mar 26, 2008 at 12:44 pm
[...] You can read more about feeds here: What you need to know about feeds [...]
2 Opus Portentus » Blog Archive » Get Opus Portentus delivered to you // Mar 26, 2008 at 12:48 pm
[...] Every time an update is made on Opus Portentus you can have it delivered direct to your favourite feed program (or via email if you prefer). To learn more about what a feed is and why you should use them read this post: What you need to know about feeds [...]
3 Eggnchips Blog » Blog Archive » SEO from the ground up // Mar 31, 2008 at 10:44 am
[...] Your input and feedback is welcomed. To keep up to date with progress why not subscribe to the feed? If you are unsure what a feed is then this may help explain: What you need to know about feeds. [...]
4 Technology week in view: 31st March 2008 :: Gizmos for Geeks // Mar 31, 2008 at 11:23 am
[...] reader program such as Google Reader. If you are unsure what a feed is this explanation may help: What you need to know about feeds. This way you can get the information you are interested in, delivered to you, as and when it is [...]
5 Technology week in view: 31st March 2008 | Seek and you shell find !!! // Apr 1, 2008 at 7:25 am
[...] reader program such as Google Reader. If you are unsure what a feed is this explanation may help: What you need to know about feeds. This way you can get the information you are interested in, delivered to you, as and when it is [...]
6 Blogosphere technology posts for 7th April 2008 // Apr 7, 2008 at 9:26 am
[...] Don’t miss out - get the Blogoshpere delivered direct to your reader: Subcribe for free Now! (What you need to know about feeds) [...]
7 42 things about Web 2.0 in 2008, part 1 of 3 // Apr 14, 2008 at 6:47 pm
[...] This list was brought to you by Jason Slater Weblog. To ensure you do not miss the next part in this series you should subscribe to our free feed: Subscribe. If you are unsure what subscribing means, read this post: What you need to know about feeds [...]
8 Technology and working from home | Jason Slater Weblog // Apr 25, 2008 at 5:16 pm
[...] To ensure you do not miss this series you should subscribe to our free feed: Subscribe. If you are unsure what subscribing means, read this post: What you need to know about feeds [...]
9 42 things about Web 2.0 in 2008, part 2 of 3 | Jason Slater Weblog // May 14, 2008 at 10:55 am
[...] This list was brought to you by Jason Slater Weblog. To ensure you do not miss the next part in this series you should subscribe to our free feed, Subscribe. If you are unsure what subscribing means, read this post: What you need to know about feeds [...]
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