I’m asked regularly what RSS means and I thought it’s important to explain what it means and how it works.

What Is RSS?
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. This may not mean much to you but it is the technology that millions of people on the Internet use today to keep track of their favourite websites. In a nutshell, RSS is a way for users to subscribe to their favourite website and download their content automatically, such as articles, music, podcasts, video and almost any other digital media available. That way you don’t have to visit their website again to get the latest update.

The idea behind this concept is that if you have a RSS reader (which you can download) you will be able receive all this content in one location and it is more efficient rather than individually going to your favourite sites.

How To Use RSS?
Firstly as mentioned above you need to have a RSS reader to subscribe to the content. There are numerous RSS readers on the Internet today and many of them are easy to use. Simply Google the word “RSS reader” and you’ll find a whole list of ones to choose from. A couple of free and easy to use web based readers I recommend are Google Reader and Bloglines. I use Google Reader and it’s very simple to use and does the job for receiving RSS.

Both of these RSS readers work a little like email. When you’ve subscribed to a few website feeds, you’ll see unread entries from them and they will be marked as bold. As you click on them you’ll be able see the latest update and read it right away. Once you’ve read the item it will be marked as ‘read’.

The best way to learn how to use a RSS reader is to simply subscribe to some feeds and try it. Both have a help section to teach you how to use them if you get stuck.

Why Are There So Many Different Buttons Just To Subscribe To RSS?
As more and more users are using RSS, more companies are releasing new software to offer more services and functionality. You’ll notice on websites the icons coming in all shapes and sizes.

Any time you see any of these icons, it means that site offers a feed you can subscribe to. Simply click on the icon and you’ll be on your way to subscribing to their feed.

What Next?
Hopefully after you’ve read this article, you’ll realise how powerful RSS is for you and business. RSS is designed to make your life easier and save you time. So don’t forget to subscribe to Internet Business Path below.

Tyrone Shum
RSS Marketer