What is RSS?

RSS is a family of file formats used by (among other things) news Web sites and weblogs. The abbreviation refers to one of the following, depending on the standard:

• Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91)
• RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0.0)

What does it do?

Say, you like to visit a Web site or two that changes or adds content regularly (my blog, for example, or CNN.com). Sometimes though, you check the site several times only to find that nothing is new. Other times you might check the site only to find you have a lot of catching up to do.

The technology of RSS allows you to subscribe to RSS-enabled sites using a program called a feed reader or an aggregator, which checks them on your behalf and tells you when there is updated content. What you get is a list of new articles, giving a line or two of each article, and a link to the full article or post.

Presto! You can track updates to any RSS-enabled site without having to visit it. (This could put the Roberts children out of a job!)

How do I set one up?

To use this technology, you need to do a few really simple things:

1. Download a program to handle your subscription,
2. Install it on your computer,
3. Copy the URL you want to subscribe to,
4. Enter the URL in the program, and
5. Wait for the next update.

Here's a list of programs (courtesy of version tracker) to choose from:

Windows
AmphetaDesk
BlogExpress
NewsGator (requires Outlook)
RadioUserland
SharpReader
Wildgrape NewsDesk
Feedreader (the one I use)

Mac
AmphetaDesk
NetNewsWire and NetNewsWire Lite
NewsMac
RadioUserland
Shrook
SlashDock

Now that you have a program you need to choose the channel that you want to read, and input the corresponding URL in your feed reading program:

• Everything - Input one of these URLs if you want to know when any new story is published to the site.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/
• Climbing & Hiking - If you're just interested in just the climbing and hiking adventures, input one of the following URLs.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C7/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C7/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C7/
• Cats - Maybe you just like seeing pictures of our bunchkins.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C6/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C6/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C6/
• Cycling - These links will update you on our two-wheeled adventures.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C4/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C4/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C4/
• Food & Wine - Want recipes, wine recommendations or thoughts on food?
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C10/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C10/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C10/
• Motorcyles - Generally Ducati-related, of course!
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C12/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C12/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C12/
• Travel - Tales of our travels around the world.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C13/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C13/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C13/
• Recommended Reading - Looking for a good book to read? Look no further than these recommendations.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C8/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C8/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C8/
• Quotables - Occasionally I come across a saying or a quote that tickles my fancy.
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_1.0/C9/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_2.0/C9/
  http://www.nwoutdoorgrrl.com/index.php/simple/rss_atom/C9/

And don't forget: You can subscribe to tons of other site's news feeds as well! Look for information about RSS or XML.

But that seems like so much work...

Some people don't want to bother with a feed reader, but would rather get an email every time this site is updated. No problem! Just click on the button below and enter your email address.