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what is rss

what is rss?

RSS is short form – an acronym – though there’s some debate what it is short form for. Right now, “Really Simple Syndication” seems to be the most popular definition.

So what is Really Simple Syndication?

It’s a way to get a website to send information to you, rather than having to come back and look for yourself. If you subscribe to this kind of service, you will be notified the moment there is new content. And you’ll be able to decide whether you want to come back to the site for the full story.

RSS can also be called a feed – or feeds, depending on how a site sets up the service. section15.ca has a single feed for its blog entries and feature articles.

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how does an rss work?

When you subscribe to an RSS feed, the website automatically sends you highlights of its new content. You can quickly scan this information to decide whether a subject interests you.

By clicking a link, you are taken directly to the item you would like to see on the website.

RSS is safe from spam. But before you can get a feed, you need to have a feed reader.

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what is a feed reader?

This allows you to see at a glance headlines from:

  • blogs
  • news sites
  • podcasts
  • vlogs
  • section15.ca features and blog entries

There is quite a selection of feed readers. Some are browser-based, while others are applications that you can download.

Browser-based feed readers allow you to see your choice headlines from any computer that uses the same browser, such as Firefox.

Feed reader applications are stored on an individual computer. This means the information will be stored on your hard drive.

These two choices are something like the difference between using Entourage or Gmail for an email account.

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get a feed reader

New versions and choices are popping up all of the time. Here are a few places to look for up-to-date feed readers:

NEWS READERS, News feeds from the BBC, BBC News
News Aggregators, NewsonFeeds
List of feed aggregators, Wikipedia

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subscribe to this feed

Confirm you have a feed reader, or get one. Then you can do one of the following:

  • Drag rss icon into the feed reader, or
  • Go to the section15.ca page rss feeds. Select its URL from the browser address. Drag it into the feed reader, or
  • Cut and paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/section15rss into your feed reader.
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about

  • Seasonal Feature

  • April 1994: the night raid at Kingston’s Prison for Women

    by Sierra Bacquie

    There was supposed to be a new approach to the Correctional Service of Canada’s relationship to female offenders, who were promised responsible choices, respect, dignity, supportive environments, and shared responsibility. But on the night of April 26, eight women experienced humiliation, degradation, raw fear and trauma at the hands of an all-male emergency team. How did this happen? What has changed since?  read more