Understanding & Using RSS Feeds

What is an RSS feed?

RSS feeds are a news syndication device ("Really Simple Syndication") that allows a person with an RSS reader to gather current news items from multiple websites, scan headlines and open only those articles that appear to be of interest.

By selecting RSS feeds in areas of your special interests, you can gather a great deal of news from a great many sources in a very short time.

You can also stay current on news postings to websites that are of particular interest to you. This is why Bio-Byte.com (Lightyears, Inc.) has launched its own RSS feeds. (Our feeds are at http://www.bio-byte.com/RSS.xml and http://www.bio-byte.com/perfume/PMC.xml.)

Why use RSS feeds?

New information from "old" websites

By using an RSS reader you can track new postings at websites you have already identified as being useful to you.

For example, if you have already read all of the articles of interest to you at the Bio-Byte.com website — but want more information from Bio-Byte — and don't want to have to pick through the Bio-Byte website daily, looking for new articles — you could simply add the Bio-Byte RSS channel to your RSS reader and when Bio-Byte announces a new article, you will be flagged — automatically — by your RSS reader. You wouldn't have to go directly to the Bio-Byte website.

If the new article appeared to interest you, you can read it from within your RSS reader. You don't have to go to your web browser and find the Bio-Byte website.

"Aggregated" updates from all over the internet

By selecting news channels of interest to you, your RSS reader can act as your morning newspaper. Open it in the morning (or whenever!) and all the news you are looking for (including any new articles from Bio-Byte.com) would be right there, waiting for you!

RSS and spam filters

Today almost every internet user — yourself included, no doubt — uses some sort of spam filtering to weed out, as best as possible, unwanted e-mail.

But spam filters can be tricky. They can block newsletters you wanted to receive and, in some cases, we have seen them block incoming ORDERS and important business messages.

An RSS reader helps you overcome the problem of deciding how to filter out junk and how to protect that which is important. Instead of the website sending YOU information, your RSS reader goes to the website to get the latest news.

You can stop receiving news from any RSS feed any time you want. If a feed becomes trashy or no longer relevant to you, you simply delete it from the incoming news feeds your RSS reader picks up.

In the case of Bio-Byte, we now announce the publication of new (free) Perfume Projects newsletters in our (public) RSS feed. We also publish the full text of each of these newsletter on our website. So, for example, if you are subscribed to our Perfume Projects newsletter but didn't receive it due to a spam blocker, your RSS reader would inform you that the newsletter is available and allow you to read it!

Some people also like the fact that an RSS reader retains your privacy. The websites you are receiving RSS feeds from never know your name and you do not have to give out your e-mail in order to receive their news!

How do I read an RSS feed?

To read an RSS feed you need an RSS reader.

By registering with Bloglines (free) you gain access to their online reader. No need to pay anything; no need to install new software on your computer. The only requirement is that you give up your e-mail to Bloglines under their promise not to abuse it.

Using the Bloglines RSS reader can be convenient if you are on the go a lot and need to stay current with news in various categories. You can access the Bloglines reader from any computer connected to the internet including pda's and smartphones.

Alternatively you can install an RSS reader on your computer. Awasu offers a free RSS reader that can have you reading RSS feeds from your favorite news sources in less than 20 minutes. NOTE: The free version of Awasu cannot read feeds from password protected (subscription) websites. Thus, members of the Bio-Byte Perfume Makers' Club could NOT subscribe to the Perfume Makers' Club RSS feed using Awasu.

FeedDemon, from Bradbury Software, offers a full featured RSS reader that WILL allow you to access both public and private RSS feeds. (We use it to check up on our own Perfume Makers' Club RSS feed.) FeedDemon can be downloaded, free, for a 20-day trial period, after which a $29.95 registration fee is required.

Where can I get more information about RSS feeds?

Here are some helpful web references that will help you learn more about RSS feeds, how to read them and (even!) how to create them!

Understanding RSS

Who Provides RSS Software?

RSS Feed Readers

Create Your Own RSS Feed!

Where do I find RSS feeds?

At Bio-Byte.com you'll find RSS feeds at http://www.bio-byte.com/RSS.xml and http://www.bio-byte.com/perfume/PMC.xml. To find other RSS feeds, try these sources:


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