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viscountexxi'm so glad you asked, hypothetical reader! if all goes to plan, you may have even clicked on a link directly on my homepage over at viscountexx.buzz!
i'll split this up between two sections: what RSS is, and then how to make use of it.
RSS is super similar! it's a kind of webpage, for example here's a link to mine! If you look at this page, your browser will probably tell you it's not HTML, however. That's because it's in a very closely related (parentally so. or a superset, whatever.) language - XML, the extensible markup language. Where HTML has specific tags that tell your browser how to display the text and images on your screen, XML is more broad. It defines tags that can be read, primarily by programs but ideally by people too!
let's take an example real quick.
so, RSS is a kind of webpage, but you don't read it with a web browser. instead, the programs that read it are called... RSS readers! and you know what they do? on a set interval, they just... refresh the page. and if there's differences, new posts from last time they looked, they download those (and the podcast files, or images, or whatever else). then they can send a notification to you, via email, phone push notification, or just wait until you look at the program yourself!
now, from here, all you need is the link to your RSS feed. simply add a feed to your reader, tell it how often to refresh all your feeds, how it should notify you, organize things... some readers probably even let you filter out posts by keywords and fancy stuff like that. enjoy being regularly updated whenever your faves post stuff, all without any need for anything except refreshing a url on the internet!
if i got anything wrong or inaccurate or just in need of clarification, pls let me know! and if you already have a favorite RSS reader, please recommend it in the comments so people can know about their options!
i'll split this up between two sections: what RSS is, and then how to make use of it.
what RSS (and atom) is
so you know websites? you best start believing in them, 'cause you're in one. different pages on the web are made of magic spells crafted from the runes we speak in (latin script plus punctuation marks), and the language of these spells is called the "hypertext markup language", or HTML. this spell will tell your web browser to show all the text that's inside it, in all sorts of fancy ways. "tags" tell your browser "That's a paragraph" or "that's a navigation section"!RSS is super similar! it's a kind of webpage, for example here's a link to mine! If you look at this page, your browser will probably tell you it's not HTML, however. That's because it's in a very closely related (parentally so. or a superset, whatever.) language - XML, the extensible markup language. Where HTML has specific tags that tell your browser how to display the text and images on your screen, XML is more broad. It defines tags that can be read, primarily by programs but ideally by people too!
let's take an example real quick.
<title>Many, Viscountexx of Chitin</title> this is a tiny piece of things, but all it rly means is that between these two title tags (enclosed in <> to tell the computers what's up, with </title> meaning it's "over"), is the text that should be the title of my page! now, any program or person who reads this, knows what the title is. and tags can nest inside other tags, too! from here, RSS has a standard of what tags mean what things. i think you can put arbitrary ones, but RSS is there so programs know to look for the title, description, blog posts & webcomic pages, podcast audio files (that's right! podcasts work the same way! even the ones on Apple Podcasts!) if you're wondering what atom is - it's still XML, but the standards and tags are slightly more updated. most things can use atom or RSS if they want!so, RSS is a kind of webpage, but you don't read it with a web browser. instead, the programs that read it are called... RSS readers! and you know what they do? on a set interval, they just... refresh the page. and if there's differences, new posts from last time they looked, they download those (and the podcast files, or images, or whatever else). then they can send a notification to you, via email, phone push notification, or just wait until you look at the program yourself!
wow cool! how do i use one to stay updated?
i thought you'd never ask, dear reader! first of all, you're going to need an RSS reader. RSS is pretty old, which means there are lots of options here but some may seem clunky, and some have died. infamously, google reader was a service that Google decided was useless and unprofitable, despite all the people who were still relying on it. in any case - i personally use the app Feeder for android, available here on the "play store'' or f-droid. it's completely free and doesn't contain any ads, and it generally does what i ask it to! you can also look into AntennaPod for podcasts, on a related note.now, from here, all you need is the link to your RSS feed. simply add a feed to your reader, tell it how often to refresh all your feeds, how it should notify you, organize things... some readers probably even let you filter out posts by keywords and fancy stuff like that. enjoy being regularly updated whenever your faves post stuff, all without any need for anything except refreshing a url on the internet!
if i got anything wrong or inaccurate or just in need of clarification, pls let me know! and if you already have a favorite RSS reader, please recommend it in the comments so people can know about their options!
