RSS Frequently Asked Questions

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What is 'RSS'?

RSS allows you be notified when content on a web site has been updated.  RSS takes the latest headlines from different web sites, and pushes those headlines down to your computer for quick scanning and reading without having to visit the site.

The acronym RSS stands for many versions of the same thing:

  • Really Simple Syndication
  • Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91)
  • RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)
  • Real-time Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)


In each of the above meanings, the purpose is the same: to have web sites of your choice deliver their latest news directly to your computer. This news is then collected ("aggregated") in a single location (your RSS reader).  The RSS headlines and stories are effectively immediate. Once published at the source server, RSS headlines take only moments to get to your screen.

Behind the scenes: RSS headlines are really simple text files that the publishing web master submits to a special feed server. That RSS feed server, in turn, pushes the text file to the screens of its subscribers. Time lag is usually 30 seconds to 30 minutes before the subscribers see the updates. In most cases, the lag is not even noticeable.

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Why Would I Want to Use RSS?

Because RSS does not require you to repeatedly visit a website to find out if new information has been posted, you know you will always receive the latest available information delivered right to your computer.  In a way, it's like subscribing to a newspaper that is delivered to your door 24 hours a day, whenever the item you have subscribed to is updated.

Normally, you would have to proactively visit the site or subscribe to get email as updates occur. RSS alerts you without email. RSS prevents you from having to be proactive. You just subscribe and watch the notifications roll into your news aggregator. Also, RSS is unspammable because you control yoursubscriptions- the site owner never has your contact info.

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How do I use RSS?

To Get Started
Choose an RSS reader tool for yourself. Most RSS readers are free to use, and easy to learn.  In fact, the latest versions of almost every web browser, including Internet Explorer, incorporate RSS functionality right into the browser.

Setup Your RSS feeds
You load the RSS feeds into your reader tool. This is achieved through multiple different ways. On many web pages you can subscribe to feeds directly (this is the case for SharingTheHeart.org) by clicking on an RSS icon or text link , you can copy and paste the web address (URL) of a feed into your RSS reader software, or you can even create your own custom RSS feeds of web pages that do not have specific RSS feeds (so that anytime that web page changes at all, you will be notified). 

You can then immediately start reading your web feed news! Simply start your RSS software (or log into your account on an web-based RSS aggregator service) and start scanning all your subscribed web feed headlines. You can arrange the RSS feeds into folders, just like email, and you can even set alerts and sounds for when a particular web feed is updated.