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Blogs 101- The basics, security, privacy and the law
"RSS" what is it and why do you care?
When I first decided to set up my blog (after holding out for years), I
encountered terms I hadn't heard of. "RSS" was one of them. The articles and
reports about blogging told me that others could subscribe to your "feed"
whatever that was. Maybe blogging was harder than it seemed at first. If I had
no idea what these were, what chance did other tech-adverse people have? :
"RSS" stands for "real simple syndication!" (although many
other terms are also considered the source of "RSS.") It allows special "news readers" to collect updates from the
websites and blogs you select, or those selected for you by default. Once you
find a website you like, or a blog that you want to follow, the newsreaders send
you all updates from those blogs or websites. Instead of having to go to them,
they come to you. (This is often called "news aggregation.")
To get started, first look for any "XML" or "RSS" feed buttons at your favorite
sites and blogs. Other commonly used terms to identify news feeds include:
"Atom", "RDF" or even something as simple as "Grab My Feed" or "My Feed." The
feeds will appear as lots of code only, until you get a reader to decipher the
code. (Websites work the same way, and your browser deciphers the web codes,
making them appear as graphics, text and multimedia content.)
In order to subscribe to the feed, you need to check the address that appears in
your browser bar when you click on these feed buttons. (You'll find this on your
browser toolbar where the address of the website usually appears. It typically
begins with http://.) You must copy that address completely, and paste it into
your newsreader to subscribe to that feed. (How this is done depends on which
news reader you are using.)
The most popular news readers include:
News Readers that work with your browser:
- BlogLines (http://www.bloglines.com)
- AmphetaDesk (http://www.disobey.com/amphetadesk/)
- NewsIsFree (http://www.newsisfree.com/)
News Reader Software that must be downloaded and installed:
- NewsGator (http://www.newsgator.com/) - integrates into
Microsoft Outlook
- FeedDemon (http://www.bradsoft.com/feeddemon/)
- Awasu (http://www.awasu.com/)
- SharpReader (http://www.sharpreader.net/)
- FeedReader (http://www.feedreader.com/)
- NewsWatcher (http://www.newswatcher.com/)
- NewsRanker (http://egofile.com/newsranker/) - (NewsRanker claims that it
learns from your actions which feeds to prioritize)
- Novobot (http://www.proggle.com/novobot/) - (Takes headlines from the feed
websites and blogs)
- Radio Userland (http://radio.userland.com/) - (Allows you to both blog and
subscribe to feeds)
For Mac users
- NetNewsWire (http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/)
Each news reader has its benefits and drawbacks. It's probably a good idea to
check them out until you find the right fit for you. Then sit back and let the
breaking news and fun information you want to read about come to you…
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Parry
Aftab, Esq., 
Marvel and
all character names and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of
Marvel Characters, Inc., and are used with permission. TM & © 2004 Marvel
Characters, Inc. All rights reserved. “Super Heroes” is a Co-owned registered
Trademark.