RSS (Real Simple Syndication)

The question for the day is, "What exactly is an RSS feed?" Well, I will tell you! First, it is NOT a rodent of unusual size--that's ROUSes, and a completely different thing. RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication," and in layman's terms it is a means through which you can funnel information from all of your favorite websites into one central location. Why would you ever want to do that? In what possible world would this be useful?! These are valid questions, here are your answers:

1. Every time i log onto the Internet, I check my email, the news, a blog or two, and a handful of other sites. This takes both time and energy on my part...waiting for the page to load, sifting through all of the information, waiting for the grass to grow...RSS changes all of that. Once I subscribe to my favorite sites, I can conveniently (through the clever use of "newsreaders" and "aggregators") visit one site for all of my information-seeking needs!
2. This is useful in the best of all possible worlds! All of my newsworthy information is available in real time, and easily accessible. My RSS feed gives me the pertinent information and lets me quickly scroll through the headlines (ignoring those I find b.o.r.i.n.g., and linking to others I find interesting!).

RSS in the library? Not possible, you say!
Well, I say you're wrong! RSS feeds are used in a variety of ways. Libraries can improve services provided to their patrons through one simple RSS button! Patrons can subscribe to feeds for their account, library events, and even create custom search feeds. The Cincinnati Library even goes so far as to break their feeds down by genre, and staff created lists. After subscribing to a feed for World History (for example), the library will notify you whenever they receive a new book for that category! As a user, it allows you to stay on top of your reading/viewing lists without the hassle of remembering dates, titles, or authors!
RSS will! impact society...
Let's face it, if you had asked me 10 years ago (goodness, if you had asked me last year) if I thought people would actually opt to have all of their daily news and events into one convenient Internet location, I probably would have laughed and thought, "No way, Jose!" I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong (don't get too excited, it won't happen that often). RSS feeds are really pretty nifty. As more and more people continue to use and create blogs, gather their news from online resources, and utilize the Internet in general, I think that RSS feeds will be the way to go for effortless access to information. The World Wide Web is at our fingertips, it is not too far a leap to place all of that exciting data in a centralized location. This technology will spread information like wildfire! It takes time and energy to keep up on the many facets of online information. RSS makes it easier to maintain your current news desires, and allows for the possibility of significant information expansion.