RSS is a very useful web format. It is designed to allow web sites to syndicate content so that it can be used by an application, such as a desktop news aggregator or another web site.
Blogs have led the way in using RSS, mainly because most weblogging programs, including Movable Type, TypePad, Radio, Livejournal and pMachine, automatically generate RSS feeds by default. Blogger is the notable exception. For example, I have feeds for this site, Linky links and the IPT blawg.
News sites have started to provide headlines in RSS format, including The New York Times, BBC, News.com, Salon.com and Wired News.
By using a news aggregator, instead of surfing in a browser, one can read more of the web in less time and keep current on more issues from a wider variety of sources.
Besides presenting news, RSS feeds can be used in many different ways. Any information that is serially or chronologically presented can be displayed in an RSS reader. Here are some of the more interesting uses of RSS that I’ve seen. Please add others in the comments:
Feeds:
- Disorient Express offers MTA subway service updates.
- Tapestry offers comics via RSS.
- The Internet Archive presents the latest additions to its collections via RSS
- Cornell’s Legal Information Institute offers Recent decisions of the US Supreme Court in RSS.
- Craigslist offers listings in all of its categories in RSS, such as New York apartments and musicians.
- Technorati generates watchlists in RSS for $10/year.
- RSS Jobs offers job listings in RSS, for $5/month.
How to use feeds:
Web services:
- Bloglines is a web-based news aggregator.
- Yahoo attempted incorporating RSS reading, but appears to have discontinued support.
Software:
- NetNewsWire for Mac OS X is wonderful.
- SharpReader is an aggregator for Windows.
- NewsGator is a plugin for Outlook.
- News Monster is a plugin for Mozilla.
- myPod is for iPod
- Comprehensive listing of RSS readers
