What is an RSS Newsfeed?
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a way of sharing web site content (like news headlines) without requiring you to revisit a site to see what's new. Instead of going to the site, RSS can tell you every time they publish something new. RSS feeds contain headlines and summaries of the article or news item, and hyperlinks to the full articles on the publishers website. On this site we publishg all new noteworthy pages in our RSS Newsfeed.
How do I use RSS?
To view RSS, you'll need a program called a News Reader (also called a News Aggregator). These programs read the RSS feeds you have subscribed to and display them on your computer.
There are a range of News Readers available online, many of which are free of charge and can be downloaded and installed in a matter of minutes. The simple thing is to use a search engine and search for an RSS Reader. We've prefilled the search for you. Quite often your email clent is capable of acting like a News Reader, too. But do not confuse an RSS Newsfeed with a Newsgroup, which is very different and goes back to the earliest days od the Internet. Our personal favourite is Feedreader because it is free and easy to install and configure. We're also piloting Attensa which integrates with Outlook. We make no warranties for them. You must satisfy yourself that any software you install on your computer is suitable for you to use, and your MIS Department may have a recommended service for you already.
How do I subscribe to a RSS News Feed?
The orange XML Button  indicates that a site is publishing a News Feed. The button is usually linked to the site's RSS (news feed) file. If you click on the button, you may find your browser is filled with a bunch of strange looking text. Don't panic! All you need to do is copy the URL in your browser's address bar. Alternatively, you can right click on the orange RSS Newsfeed button and select "Copy Shortcut"(or similar phrase) from the menu. Now go to your news reader and add the URL to your list of feeds. This is generally through an "add feed" button or menu option which varies depending on the news reader you've selected.
Can I see the Newsfeed directly in my Browser?
Modern browsers display a small indicator in a browser specific position to indicate that a newsfeed is present on a site. FireFox does, but Internet Explorer does not yet. Each browser behaves differently, but clicking the little button on the border of the FireFox window allows otyu to subscribe to the feed through your bookmarks. At present you have to refresh the content yourself because there is no notification, so we prefer a News reader. This paragraph was correct on 13 November 2005. Technology moves on fast, though
May I put your newsfeed on my website?
Certainly. That is what it is for. If you find a newsfeed contains material that you feel adds value to your own site your Webmaster will be able to add it easily. And this means that your site will be visited for other people's content. Our newsfeed is freely available for any site that wishes to make use of it. Our permission is not required. |
