What is RSS?
In a world heaving under the weight of billions of web pages,
keeping up to date with the information you want can be a challenge.
Wouldn't it be better to have the latest information delivered
directly to you, rather than clicking from site to site? Well now
you can, thanks to a very clever service, RSS.
There is some discussion as to what RSS stands for, but most
agree it means 'Really Simple Syndication'. Put plainly, it allows
you to identify the content you like and have it delivered directly
to you.
It takes the hassle out of staying up-to-date, by showing you the
very latest information that you are interested in.
Not all websites currently provide RSS, but it is growing rapidly
in popularity and many sites provide it.
How do I start using RSS feeds?
In general, the first thing you need is something called a News
Reader. There are many different versions, some of which are
accessed using a browser, and some of which are downloadable
applications. All allow you to display and subscribe to the RSS
feeds you want.
Some news readers to explore include:
www.bloglines.com
blogspace.com/rss/readers
Once you have chosen a News Reader, all you have to do is to
decide what content you want. For example, if you would like the
latest Luther Seminary daily chapel podcasts or God Pause daily
devotions, visit:
www.luthersem.edu/chapel or
www.luthersem.edu/godpause
You will notice the orange
buttons on these pages.
If you click on the button you can subscribe to the feed in
various ways, including by dragging the URL of the RSS feed into
your News Reader or by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new
feed in your News Reader.
Some browsers, including Firefox, Opera and Safari, have
functionality which automatically pick up RSS feeds for you. For
more details on these, please check their websites.
Podcasting is a means of distributing audio programs via the
Internet that lets you subscribe to a number of files, also known as
feeds.
Each feed consists of a series of audio files which are typically
downloaded to your computer while it is idle. You can then listen to
these audio files at any time you choose, either on your computer or
on an MP3 player.
A vodcast is just another word for video podcast. It is simply a
podcast which includes both video and audio.
We offer two versions of video podcasts for our daily chapel
services: one tailored for iPod and iTunes users and one for users
of other players.
How do I start listening to podcasts
or vodcasts?
You do not need an iPod or MP3 player to
listen to podcasts, you can listen and view right from your computer!
In general, the first thing you need is a podcast application,
usually some software that you install on your computer. There are
many different versions, but all allow you to display and subscribe
to the podcast feeds you want.
Some podcast applications to explore include:
http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net (formerly ipodder)
www.apple.com/itunes
Once you have installed your podcast software, all you have to do
is to decide what content you want. For example, if you would like
the latest Luther Seminary daily chapel podcasts, visit:
www.luthersem.edu/chapel
You will notice the orange
buttons on this page.
If you click on the button you can subscribe to the feed in
various ways, including by dragging the URL of the podcast feed into
your podcast software or by cutting and pasting the same URL into
your podcast software.
