What is an RSS Feed?

Think of RSS as Microsoft Outlook where all the emails that you need to receive comes pouring in one program (Microsoft Outlook/Outlook Express). RSS system is just like that. If you want to read news or blogs or other things on the web (even listen to podcasts), instead of going to 100's of news websites or blogs, you just receive it in one program. This program is called a "Feed Reader," or "Aggregator." Once you download this program to your computer, you just tell it which news website or blog you want to subscribe to and then the feed reader will go to work. It will put on it's make up and high heels and go out to get those blogs and news articles for you!

Now, you must be wondering how does the feed reader know where to go? Well, the blog or any website or podcast that you want to subscribe to, will have a little button that will look like the above image, or say "RSS." You click on this button and it will give you a link like this: http://rachelindra.audioacrobat.com/rss/indras_voice.xml (this is the RSS link for our podcasts). Give this link to your feedreader to make her happy-this is all she needs to know where to go and who to talk to. The feedreader I prefer is http://www.google.com/reader.