| Answers |
| What is headline syndication? |
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| Many web sites and weblogs (blogs) update often with new stories and posts. If you track news from multiple online sources or need to stay informed on specific subjects, it’s a challenge to keep up with all the latest news and most recent updates. More and more content publishers, media outlets, and bloggers are turning to "syndication" -- a way to broadly deliver their headlines and frequently updated web content to news consumers via a standard distribution format (RSS). |
| Syndication describes the process of publishing simultaneously in more than one online location. It’s usually not for distributing full-text articles (though it can be), but often includes the headline and a few lines of text or a short summary of the article. |
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| What is RSS? |
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| RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It’s a format that web sites and blogs can use to send updated headlines to you via news readers services. Syndication means you don't have to visit each site individually to see what's new -- you simply scan headlines or brief article summaries and click to read the full text. That’s the "really simple" part. And it’s "really simple" for publishers to make their content accessible this way too. |
| Because RSS is a relatively new format, not all sites currently syndicate their content in this way. However, many notable sites already do offer RSS, and every day the RSS offering grows. For example, news sites such as the Christian Science Monitor, the BBC, and CNet's News.com use RSS to syndicate news headlines and summaries. Other sites use RSS to alert customers of new products or upcoming events. |
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| What are the benefits of using receiving syndicated headlines via RSS? |
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There are many benefits to accessing headlines and information this way:
- Efficiency -- timely news and information is automatically there when you need it;
- Breadth -- headlines from the web sources you care about are consolidated;
- Organization -- sources can be displayed in order of importance with the latest news on top;
- Productivity -- email newsletter subscriptions and unruly bookmarks can lead to clutter and information overload.
Ultimately, you save time while consuming more information. Instead of browsing multiple sites to find information of interest, syndicated headlines are delivered directly to your newsreader page. And they are consolidated in a way that's easy to scan periodically throughout the day. When a headline interests you, just click and go directly to the source.
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| How can I use RSS? |
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Typically, people use RSS to:
- Gather, read, or quickly scan frequently updated headlines from a variety of sources using a "News Aggregator" or "Newsreader" program.
- Incorporate syndicated headlines into their personal weblogs (often called "blogs") as a way to display information from different publishers.
Blogs are web pages which typically consist of timestamped, frequently updated links to news items and web sites. Blogging has developed into an online publishing tool used for many purposes: traditional journalism, personal diaries, collaborative journals, digital note-taking, topical group discussion forums, and hybrid combinations.
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| How do I know if a site supports RSS? |
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| Any site that supports RSS can be added. Look for a small white-on-orange rectangular "XML" -- that indicates a link to an RSS file. If your favorite site doesn't yet support RSS, you can email them to request support of RSS. |
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| How do I find the URL for a site's RSS file/feed? |
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The little white-in-orange "XML" button ( ) indicates that a web site supports RSS. It usually points to the site's RSS file. If you click the button, don't worry about the text in your browser -- all you need is the URL in the browser's web address bar. |
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| Can I import a list of sources? |
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If you've already set up another newsreader but want to try another, you can import the list of sites you already subscribe to. Many news readers have an export function that outputs in OPML, another format for file sharing.
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| If this feature is available, export and save your sources as an OPML file. Then from the RSS Edit Page click on "Advanced Import Option" in the "Add New Sources" box. Browse your local drive for the OPML file, click "OK," then click "Import." Once the OPML file is imported, your RSS Headlines module is instantly populated with your sources. |
Tip: Have any friends who are into reading blogs? Chances are they use a newsreader to scan for updates. Ask them to email you the OPML file with favorite syndicated sites -- it's a great way to get started quickly. |
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| How else can I discover RSS? |
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You are welcome to start with the Yahoo! Directory or search for RSS. You'll quickly discover there are several RSS directories on the Web today that are very helpful. Here are some of the better-known resources for finding RSS feeds:
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| How do I learn more about RSS? |
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There's lots of information on the Web about RSS. Depending on what you're looking for, try starting here:
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