What is RSS?
RSS is a great way to stay up to date with the goings on with the OAC without needing to receive emails from us. An RSS feed includes summaries, headlines, and links to new trips, new reviews etc.
When you click a RSS link or button, you will be directed to the URL address of that feed. You will see XML coding (eXtensible Markup Language). This is natural since you will not be able to view RSS feeds through your browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Oprah, etc.) These feeds are online viewable through RSS Aggreators (aka. RSS Readers).
There are two types of RSS Readers:
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1. It can be an application that you can download to your desktop.
2. It can be a web based RSS Aggreator, allowing you to view it.
Where can I find these RSS Readers?
Here are few popular choices:
- Awasu -- http://www.awasu.com/ (Windows)
- Bloglines http://bloglines.com/ (All OS, browser-based)
- Amphetadesk -- http://www.disobey.com/amphetadesk/ (Windows)
- RSS Reader -- http://www.rssreader.com/ (Windows .NET)
- NetNewsWire -- http://ranchero.com/netnewswire/ (Mac OS X)
More resources on finding other RSS Aggreators:
How do I use these RSS feeds?
Simple. Click the RSS or XML feed link or button and copy the URL in the web browsers window. Open your RSS Reader and find "Add new Channel". Depending on the RSS Reader there might be some additional steps that will pop up. Most of these can be bypassed and as soon as you finish this process you will be able to read all the RSS feeds that are generated by the URL. Now you can keep up to date with your favorite online news sources.
