Since Loc Kee requested me to explain RSS feed to his friend, Junior Tok, let me do a little favor by writing a post on RSS feed itself, with instructions and diagrams on how to fully utilize RSS feed.

If you have the time and interest, please click on these two articles for detailed explanations on “What is RSS?” and “How does RSS works?“. Else, do skip it and read my simple and lousy explanations on RSS.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and it is widely used in the blogging world. There are a few versions of RSS feed being used by bloggers out there and it all has the same function – to notify a user about an updated blog / site. It is a little XML web page that contains the headline, date/time and a description of each new item that the blog is publishing.

This RSS feed is basically useless to users, as users do not understand what are the codes all about. Therefore, a program is needed to fully utilize RSS feed and make the users’ life easier. The program is able to read RSS feed and thus, notify the users that there is an update in certain blog / site. Below is a short description on how does RSS works.

1) Publish a new post.

2) RSS feed updates its code by keying the details such as headline / title, date, time and short description of the new post.

3) RSS feed program reads the RSS feed of the blog.

4) RSS feed program detects changes - the details of the new post in the RSS feed code of the blog, in the RSS feed code.

5) RSS feed program notifies users that that particular blog has a new post / update.

I hope these 5 steps are able to explain how RSS feed works briefly. For those who do not know, I have about 100+ blogs to read every day. It will be tedious for me to click on the links at my link page one by one. Imagine you have clicked on 100+ links but there are only 2 blogs with new posts. Besides, not all bloggers ping PPS. Therefore, PPS does not manage to notify me of all updated blogs.

Therefore, RSS program is my only solution to detect updated blogs in the fastest time and with the most little effort. I do not have to click on each and every 100+ links to check for updates and I save a lot of time in blog hopping. This also explains why you always see my comment 1 or 2 minutes after you publish your new post. –laughs cunningly-

There are many RSS feed programs out there and I am using FeedReader. Therefore, I will be showing you instruction on how to use FeedReader only. As for other programs, I think the steps are similar though.

1) Click here to download FeedReader version 2.90.

2) Install the program and run the program. You will see an interface like the picture below.

3) Click on the first icon at the tool bar to add new feed.

4) Type your desired blog’s RSS feed address and click next.

5) Type your desired name for the blog and click finish.

6) Repeat steps 3 to 5 for other blogs.

7) Click on the second icon at the tool bar to update your blog’s RSS feed address.

8) If there is an update in your desired blog, you will be notified.

Little notes on RSS feed address.

Blogs that use blogger’s or blogspot’s service, the RSS feed address ends with atom.xml. Example :
http://msau.blogspot.com/atom.xml,
http://planetj.blogspot.com/atom.xml,
http://wheregot.blogspot.com/atom.xml,
http://mariahlc.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Blogs that use own personal server / site, they are different and it is site dependent. Example :
http://www.drliew.net/index.rdf,
http://chanlilian.net/index.rdf,
http://www.kennysia.com/atom.xml,
http://www.kancilkiller.net/atom.xml

There are blogs that use different RSS feed address as well. Example : http://icequeen.mamakcorner.com/wp-rss2.php, http://edo.nierchi.net/xmlsrv/rss2.php?blog=2,
http://www.paulooi.com/?feed=rss2,
http://tokyotosho.com/rss.php

For Xanga’s, Tabulas‘ or Blogdrive’s blogs, I have no idea what are their RSS feed address. Can someone please enlighten me?

There, that is my secret of reading 100+ blogs every day, and yet able to be the first to comment minutes after you update your blog. I hope this little tutorial is able to help you. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any problems or questions. If there is any mistake or misleading infomation in this post, do let me know.

I have revealed my secret. -sniff sniff-

P/S :

Blogs must have enabled the site feed option in their blog setting for this RSS site feed to work. It is enabled by default.

Other than feed readers, you can use blogrolling or the integrated feed reader inside FireFox.

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