From Wikipedia: (article here)
"A web feed (or news feed) is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Content distributors syndicate a web feed, thereby allowing users to subscribe to it. Making a collection of web feeds accessible in one spot is known as aggregation, which is performed by an Internet aggregator. A web feed is also sometimes referred to as a syndicated feed.
In the typical scenario of using web feeds, a content provider publishes a feed link on their site which end users can register with an aggregator program (also called a feed reader or a news reader) running on their own machines; doing this is usually as simple as dragging the link from the web browser to the aggregator. When instructed, the aggregator asks all the servers in its feed list if they have new content; if so, the aggregator either makes a note of the new content or downloads it. Aggregators can be scheduled to check for new content periodically.
The kinds of content delivered by a web feed are typically HTML (webpage content) or links to webpages and other kinds of digital media. Often when websites provide web feeds to notify users of content updates, they only include summaries in the web feed rather than the full content itself.
Web feeds are operated by many news websites, weblogs, schools, and podcasters.A web feed (or news feed) is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Content distributors syndicate a web feed, thereby allowing users to subscribe to it. Making a collection of web feeds accessible in one spot is known as aggregation, which is performed by an Internet aggregator. A web feed is also sometimes referred to as a syndicated feed.
In the typical scenario of using web feeds, a content provider publishes a feed link on their site which end users can register with an aggregator program (also called a feed reader or a news reader) running on their own machines; doing this is usually as simple as dragging the link from the web browser to the aggregator. When instructed, the aggregator asks all the servers in its feed list if they have new content; if so, the aggregator either makes a note of the new content or downloads it. Aggregators can be scheduled to check for new content periodically.
The kinds of content delivered by a web feed are typically HTML (webpage content) or links to webpages and other kinds of digital media. Often when websites provide web feeds to notify users of content updates, they only include summaries in the web feed rather than the full content itself.
Web feeds are operated by many news websites, weblogs, schools, and podcasters."
Feed readers?
There are many free and commercial feed readers available.
Some of the populare ones are:
- Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 7.0, and many other web browsers allow receipt of feeds from the tool bar using Live Bookmarks, Favorites, and other techniques to integrate feed reading into a browser
- There are desktop-based feed readers, e.g. FeedDemon, NetNewsWire, Outlook 2007.
- Web based feed reader used by myself: http://reader.google.com/
Summary
Once you get into reading feeds, you're going to be hooked. For instance .. you could click on the "subscripe to posts" link here on my blog and receive an item in your feed reader everytime I post a new article here. You can have news headlines from your favourite news sites delivered to your feed reader. You could subscribe to a feed of your mom's favourite bookmarks from her social networking site and thus be notified everytime she bookmarks an interesting new site and many more such examples apply.
If you're not reading feeds yet - I dare you to go to http://reader.google.com/ (register with google if you have not yet) and start subscribing to some feeds. Google Reader also makes it easy for you to find content to subscribe to. Then look out for the "Subscibe to this page / posts" links on your favourite websites.
No more checking back to sites for updates, no more giving out your e-mail address so you can be mailed updates!
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