RSS+and+RSS+Aggregators


 * RSS** or Really Simple Syndication makes it possible for people to keep up with favourite sites via subscribed feeds which send summaries of new content in an automated manner into special programs called aggregators or feed readers.

A good place to start is to watch the RSS in Plain English video from Common Craft

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 * Locating the Feed URL**

Once you begin to access and use social software sites you really need to establish some form of RSS feed reader/ aggregator to make life easier. There are a huge number of options available to gather (aggregate) feeds from your favourite sites. A few only are covered below.

While some aggregators are intelligent enough to subscribe to a feed with only the site's primary URL (eg. Bloglines) some require the actual feed URL. Sometimes this is difficult to locate! Most blogs provide this information via an icon or link in the navigation menu. Look for a simple 'Subscribe here' worded link or this type of icon...



The feed address will look something like this (but does vary)- http://learnonline.wordpress.com/feed/


 * Popular RSS aggregators**

[|Feed Raider] is a web-based aggregator that has a nice clean interface and is quick and easy to setup and manage. It allows sorting via pages which show as tabs, and feeds can be viewed in 3 differing formats. [|Example] - //or click on thumbnail below to view screengrab// Click here for a [|FeedRaider] how-to guide

[|Example] - //or click on thumbnail below to view screengrab//
 * [|Bloglines]** is another popular web-based aggregation tool.


 * [|Google reader]**