An overview of RSS and Web feeds

<h3 class="sub_head">About RSS</h3> <p> You may have noticed Web pages sprouting orange boxes with the initials RSS or XML and wondered what they're for. These orange boxes indicate that the site offers RSS feeds, a tool to read Web content more quickly. <br><br> Depending on who you ask, RSS stands for either "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary." Most people opt for simplicity and call them "feeds." </p> <h3 class="sub_head">How do I get them?</h3> <p>Early on, people had to download special software to view RSS feeds; examples can be found <a href="http://blogspace.com/rss/readers"> here</a>. But now many people check feeds on sites such as <a href="www.google.com/reader">Google Reader</a>, <a href="http://my.yahoo.com/s/about/rss/index.html">My Yahoo</a>, <a href="http://www.newsgator.com">NewsGator</a> or <a href="http://www.bloglines.com">Bloglines</a>. In addition, the latest version of most Web browsers let you read RSS feeds without special software. Or, you can set up RSS feeds in <a href="http://www.goupstate.com/myupstate">MyUpstate</a>. We've set some up for you there already. <br><br> <h3 class="sub_head">Why use them?</h3> <p> One enthusiast notes that his RSS reader, "enables me to keep up with my favorite sites in a fraction of the time it used to take to visit them each day." <br><br> When you check our feeds, you'll see a list of headlines and summary paragraphs of our most recent articles. To read a full article, click on the headline and you're directed to the article on our Web site. <br><br> If you check several Web sites daily, you'll begin to appreciate the convenience of quickly checking for updates in one place. </p> <h3 class="sub_head">How do I subscribe to feeds?</h3> <p> Click on one of the section names above and follow the instructions for your particular news reader to subscribe to RSS feeds. <br /><br> Don't worry about seeing a lot of Web code when you click on the link. The important thing is to get the address at the top of the Web browser into your RSS reader. </p> <h3 class="sub_head">Can I read RSS in my handheld?</h3> <p> RSS readers are available for handheld computers that connect to the Internet via cellphone connection or WiFi <br><br> Handhelds that don't connect directly to the Internet can use <a hrfef="http://sourceforge.net/projects/sunrisexp">Sunrise software</a> in combination with a program called Plucker to capture RSS feeds and sync them for reading on the handheld. </p>