pennypacker.net: Crash course in RSS

Crash course in RSS

I set up an RSS feed for this fabulous weblog today, and the kicker is that I don't know if it works. I don't use RSS readers, so I don't know what to expect. It started a while back when Shawn asked that I put an RSS feed on this page so that he'd know when I update. I agreed on the condition that his blog remembers my name and info when I revisit his blog. (a note to Shawn: I'm waiting.)

From what I gather, the principle of an rss reader is that a user can read stories (or previews of stories) from dozens of websites in one screen. Or so I imagine. I guess if you have an rss reader you don't need to spend your mornings clicking about the web to pick up your news, gossip, and whatever else that you might seek on the web in the mornings. I've also come to understand that it also works in the afternoons and at night. If that's the case, then shame on me for not getting into this sooner because fewer clicks is greater efficiency, and I've got a soft spot for efficiency.

To begin the implementation of an RSS feed, I started by doing a little online research just to see what it is that an RSS feed is, what it's meant to look like, and what data it holds. I read a few articles that were fine overviews of RSS, and thought to myself, "Heck, I can do that. That's simple." Sure enough, it's simple. I think it took me about an hour to go from "what's ar ess ess?" to having an RSS feed on here. The biggest stumbling point, if you're interested in knowing, is that my browser adds hyphens to the visually separate the rss feed and they're not really a part of it. So once I removed the hyphens from the RSS, it works swimmingly. Or at least I think it does. I'm not terribly sure.

So there it is. My fabulous weblog now has a fabulous RSS feed. Since I don't know if it works, if you've got an RSS reader handy, I'd be tickled if you'd give it a shot and let me know if it does what it's supposed to do.

under:

Web Development

Posted on

2005-03-19