What is a feed and how do you use it.
Written by Matt B · first published 01/03/2008
Most modern site offer site feeds. For example blogspot blogs have them by default and most modern blog platforms do too. A site feed is an XML encoded file that carries the latest headlines and (optionally) the content of posts (full or tease).
You probably use feeds without realising it (according to a white paper from yahoo). In fact the white paper found that over a quarter of Internet users used syndicated (feed) content but that 12% of users were aware of RSS (the most common feed flavour) and that a mere 4% had knowingly used RSS. So if you have little or no idea what it is then you are not unusual as the majority of people are currently unaware of it.
People that own a PDA, a laptop or even some mobile phones will often use a feed reader to get the latest posts from their favourite blogs and news sites to read at lunch or while traveling to work. Offering a news feed allows you to extend the range of your readership. Something the local news sources seem to have failed to understand (whereas the nationals have all embraced this technology).
But it does not just stop there - other uses of feeds exist. The Thanet Blog List uses site feeds to create a summary feed of the local activity of Thanet blogging. Yahoo, Google and MSN allow users to put headlines on their customised "start pages".
Keep reading to find out the tools that are available (mostly for free) to consume (read) feeds and do other interesting things with them. If you blog or plan to then you can not afford to let yourself fall behind. Feeds are already becoming a vital part of the blogging landscape but they need not be a big deal.
While feeds come in a number of flavours (ATOM, RSS 0.9x, RSS 1, RDF and RSS 2) any platform worth it's salt will cope with them all. However, they are not all equal and an example of this is how the now inactive thanetcouncil.info uses local blog feeds. The feeds are processed into a flavour it can understand (more on that later) and some elements (images, for example) were lost in the process.
The web browser FireFox offers a "live bookmarks" feature. Live bookmarks load when the browser starts and use the feed to create fresh bookmarks to the newest items on the site. I use this extensively to go directly to articles with interesting titles.
FireFox is free and you can get it from mozilla.com
The email client Thunderbird (from the same people as FireFox) not only allows you to read your email off line and filter for spam but it can also download feeds for you to read. It can manage them in the same way as emails. It is also free. Get Thunderbird.
I imagine that Outlook (not express) can probably do the same but I have not used Outlook for a very long time.
Now if you want to do more with your feed (like make it into a badge) and would like to make it compatible with all readers then the feedburner service. This is a free service and will allow you access to more control over your feed without the technology knowledge that would otherwise be needed. If you want to reach a wider audience (KM Group I am looking at you) then this is the tool for you.
If you own your own domain name you can even integrate the service so that it runs on a sub-domain of your domain name. This is great for branding as it is seamless. Feedburner is owned by Google.
It would be unfair of me to review (or attempt to review) feed readers I have not used. I tend towards using programs I already own but I want to be able to offer you the widest range of option I can. In this way I hope to open up a world of possibility that will enable you to get things on your own terms.
I have also assumed that you are using Windows. If you have a Mac or a Linux PC then only a few of these are going to be of much use to you. I have also included items that run on the Windows Mobile OS.
For a listing that is even more comprehensive than this you can check Wikipedia's list, The Open Directory Project's listing or even WebUser's list of the best of feed readers.
From this site you can get the site feed as an email, you can add it to a page or you can use it as you wish - the subscribe page has more on that.
Do you use feeds or do you intend to?
Were you previously aware of them or are they knew to you?
I'd love to know your opinion on the subject of site feeds so why not put in your penneth worth.
You probably use feeds without realising it (according to a white paper from yahoo). In fact the white paper found that over a quarter of Internet users used syndicated (feed) content but that 12% of users were aware of RSS (the most common feed flavour) and that a mere 4% had knowingly used RSS. So if you have little or no idea what it is then you are not unusual as the majority of people are currently unaware of it.
People that own a PDA, a laptop or even some mobile phones will often use a feed reader to get the latest posts from their favourite blogs and news sites to read at lunch or while traveling to work. Offering a news feed allows you to extend the range of your readership. Something the local news sources seem to have failed to understand (whereas the nationals have all embraced this technology).
But it does not just stop there - other uses of feeds exist. The Thanet Blog List uses site feeds to create a summary feed of the local activity of Thanet blogging. Yahoo, Google and MSN allow users to put headlines on their customised "start pages".
Keep reading to find out the tools that are available (mostly for free) to consume (read) feeds and do other interesting things with them. If you blog or plan to then you can not afford to let yourself fall behind. Feeds are already becoming a vital part of the blogging landscape but they need not be a big deal.
Tools to read feeds (and other things)
While feeds come in a number of flavours (ATOM, RSS 0.9x, RSS 1, RDF and RSS 2) any platform worth it's salt will cope with them all. However, they are not all equal and an example of this is how the now inactive thanetcouncil.info uses local blog feeds. The feeds are processed into a flavour it can understand (more on that later) and some elements (images, for example) were lost in the process.
FireFox live bookmarks
The web browser FireFox offers a "live bookmarks" feature. Live bookmarks load when the browser starts and use the feed to create fresh bookmarks to the newest items on the site. I use this extensively to go directly to articles with interesting titles.
FireFox is free and you can get it from mozilla.com
Thunderbird
The email client Thunderbird (from the same people as FireFox) not only allows you to read your email off line and filter for spam but it can also download feeds for you to read. It can manage them in the same way as emails. It is also free. Get Thunderbird.
I imagine that Outlook (not express) can probably do the same but I have not used Outlook for a very long time.
Feedburner
Now if you want to do more with your feed (like make it into a badge) and would like to make it compatible with all readers then the feedburner service. This is a free service and will allow you access to more control over your feed without the technology knowledge that would otherwise be needed. If you want to reach a wider audience (KM Group I am looking at you) then this is the tool for you.
If you own your own domain name you can even integrate the service so that it runs on a sub-domain of your domain name. This is great for branding as it is seamless. Feedburner is owned by Google.
General Feed Readers
It would be unfair of me to review (or attempt to review) feed readers I have not used. I tend towards using programs I already own but I want to be able to offer you the widest range of option I can. In this way I hope to open up a world of possibility that will enable you to get things on your own terms.
I have also assumed that you are using Windows. If you have a Mac or a Linux PC then only a few of these are going to be of much use to you. I have also included items that run on the Windows Mobile OS.
For a listing that is even more comprehensive than this you can check Wikipedia's list, The Open Directory Project's listing or even WebUser's list of the best of feed readers.
- Attensa for Windows
- BlogBridge
- FeedDemon
- FeedBeast
- FeedGhost
- Hubdog (Windows Mobile)
- Juice
- Mindity
- mDigger (Windows or Windows Mobile)
- NewsBreak (Windows Mobile)
- Omea
- RSSOwl
- SharpReader
- Snarfer
- Thinfeeder
Feeds and You
From this site you can get the site feed as an email, you can add it to a page or you can use it as you wish - the subscribe page has more on that.
Do you use feeds or do you intend to?
Were you previously aware of them or are they knew to you?
I'd love to know your opinion on the subject of site feeds so why not put in your penneth worth.
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