RSS Q&A

Q: What does RSS stand for anyways?
A: Depending on who you ask, RSS either stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. The latter is the more commonly accepted definition.

Q: Okay, that’s nice . . . uh . . . but what does it do?
A: To put it as simply as I can, RSS is a method of taking content from a website and delivering it to a reader in the form of a summary or description thereby alerting the reader to new content on that site that the reader can go and view.

Q: That wasn’t very simple.
A: Ok, ok. Think of RSS as the Infomercial channel on TV. For instance . . . whoa, hey! Don’t turn me off already. This is better than Infomercials, I assure you.

Q: Alright, go ahead. I’m listening.
A: For instance, if you watch the Infomercial channel you will see short (or long) advertisements by different companies showcasing different items or products. RSS works in a similar fashion. Webmasters set up RSS channels on their website (that’s actually what they’re called – "channels" or "feeds") that you can subscribe to. When certain new content appears on their site, it will come through their RSS channel right to your RSS reader (we’ll talk about these in a minute). Now you can see what new content is on their site without actually having to go there. RSS channels come with a link to the actual article or piece of information so that if you want to read further or see the info for yourself, you can do so.

Q: I think I’m starting to get it, but could you give me a real life example?
A: Sure! If you’re observant, you'll notice that the ThinkBox articles have an RSS feed (as evidenced by the cool RSS icon). If you click on that you will see a page that probably looks like a bunch of garbledygook. This is the RSS feed. Actually, the text in your browser's URL field is the RSS feed. In this case, is it "http://www.xhtmlpro.com/articles/feed." This is the feed that you want to subscribe to in your RSS reader. When a new article is posted on ThinkBox, you will be able to read it in your RSS reader without having to go to our site. You could go on to add news headlines to your reader along with some of your favorite blogs. Now, if you want to see what's new on the web, you don't have to go to each website of interest, just check your RSS reader and read the headlines!

Q: Neat! So, could you explain this RSS reader thing to me, now?
A: An RSS reader is a program that you will need to download. RSS readers check your feed subscriptions and displays them to you much like an email program would. Visit http://www.newsonfeeds.com/faq/aggregators for a rather large listing of RSS readers. Take your pick. If you use Firefox as your default browser, you can select from a variety of RSS reader extensions. Another option is to download Thunderbird. Thunderbird is a combination email client and RSS reader. You can view your email inbox and when you're finished you can check your RSS feeds in the same way as you would check your email.

Now that you've got an RSS reader and a wealth of information about RSS feeds, it's time for you to keep tabs on the internet

Other helpful links:
Feedster.com
RSS - Wikipedia
Thunderbird
What is RSS - Xml.com

Yes, it's becoming harder and harder to miss what's going on in the realm of internet browsers today. For the longest time, Microsoft held a tight grip on the market share with Internet Explorer. But after 5 years of inactivity on Microsoft's part to continue development on their widely-used product, the competition has come on like a flood. Or should I say that is it spreading like a fire?? If you are still using Internet Explorer, perhaps it's time you took a look around. Here for you is the "low down" on your options.

Heading up the list is the 2nd most popular browser in existance today - Firefox.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows, Macintosh, Linux
Highlights and Strong Points: Firefox was released in 2004 and has quickly grown in popularity. Firefox was one of the first browsers to implement tabbed browsing, a feature which allows you to have multiple web pages open inside a single browser window. For Windows users, this means a clean taskbar for you. Firefox is also highly customizable. Because it is Open Source, users have created a plethora of skins for you to choose from. Downloading them is a snap. Another benefit of its being Open Source is the even broader array of extensions which will beef up your browser. One of the most popular is an extension called AdBlock which allows you to take out those annoying ads you see. You know, the ones that make you groan and mutter under your breath. All in all, Firefox packs a powerful punch and indeed it has dealt a serious blow to Internet Explorer by capturing 15% of the browser market in less than two years.
Firefox Links
www.GetFirefox.com
Five Minute Challenge

Next up is another powerful browser called Opera.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows, Macintosh, Linux
Highlights and Strong Points: Opera has been around longer than Firefox has, but apparently doesn't have the same appeal. However, it's small user base is very loyal and rightly so. So, what does Opera have going for it? Tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, simple site customization options, BitTorrent, multiple skins, and a built-in email client to name a few. Also available is Opera Mini - the cell phone version of Opera.
Opera Links:
www.Opera.com
Opera Mini

If you're a Mac user, there's some other great browsers out there just for you. Most Macs today come with Safari, but if you think you'd like to try something else, perhaps you should take a look at Camino.
Supported Operating Systems: Macintosh
Highlights and Strong Points: Camino is developed by Mozilla, which means that it is the cousin to Firefox. Therefore it carries with it most all of the functionality of Firefox. Firefox is available for Mac, but Camino has been specially packaged for Mac which gives you, the Mac user, the optimum browsing experience. Camino features tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, search tools, security tools, and a stream-lined download manager.
Camino Links:
www.CaminoBrowser.com

The length of this article does not permit me to wax eloquent on all of the alternative browsers out there. So now it's your turn to do some sniffing around. For starters, visit www.AlternativeBrowserAlliance.com and take a look around. Happy browsing!

1. What is your name? What? I thought you weren't supposed to use names or other personal information in your password. That's right, you're not, but don't worry because by the time we're done your name won't be recognized. If you prefer, you can use a fictitious name (as long as you can remember it).
2. What is your favorite book, movie, song, game, or TV show?
3. What is the author, actor, artist, creator, or producer of or in number 2 above?
4. What is your favorite place to do the above mentioned activity?
5. And finally, what is your favorite time to do that activity?

Got all that? Good. Now stick in some verbs and prepositions and you come up with a phrase something like this.

Andy likes to read Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the den on rainy days.

Now we take the first letter of each word and combine them, keeping the capitals. How's this for a secure password? AltrSHbSACDitdord. (Note that the period is included.)

Recommended: For an extra secure password, you can substitute numbers and symbols for letters that look like them, like this: @l2r$Hb$@CD!td0rd. (Substituting the "@" sign for a's, the "$" sign for s's, exclamation points (!) for i's, and zeros (0) for o's.)

If even this password is too difficult to remember, you can omit steps 4 and 5 of our 5-step process and end up with this password which is still very strong: @l2r$Hb$@CD.

The strength of this and other similar passwords has been tested and verified by several password testers to be super-secure. Enjoy!

More info on strong passwords:
Creating Secure Passwords
Password strength
Password Security (with tester)