What is RSS? : PPC Fool

You see it all the time, RSS, but do you know what it is and how to leverage it? You will notice it on the top right of my site, as well as 90% of all blogs and news sources out on the web. Used properly it can make your life much simpler and save you lots of time…

What is RSS?

RSS or Really Simple Syndication is a no more than a web feed that delivers all the content and news that you sign up for straight to you when it is updated.

When I first started reading the net, I kept finding new and interesting blogs about anything and everything. Each time I found something I liked I would ‘bookmark’ it. Before I knew it my bookmark list was really long … and trying to go to each site everyday was time consuming and tiring, even more so when the site had not updated. That was time well spent.

Enter RSS. Now, you simply sign up for their RSS feed, and the content is delivered to you when it is updated. No more bookmarking and surfing, you will know exactly when each of your subscribed sites have been updated through an RSS Reader.

What is an RSS Reader?

This is just a place where all of the sites you signed up for sends the content. There are a variety of RSS Readers, and almost all are free. I prefer Google Reader. Simple, straightforward, and functional. Below are some of the readers:

Google Reader
Bloglines
NetVibes
etc …. for a complate list visit here

If you think an RSS reader is still too technical, most RSS subscription sites offer email based delivery as well. Just enter your email address, and then each time that site is updated, ding you get an email.

Below is a cool little video that explains RSS in more detail … enjoy:

RSS In Plain English

In summary: