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What is RSS?

RSS is an acronym for Rich Site Summary, or Real Simple Syndication. This file format is gaining popularity for distributing basic information about recent news items. RSS files are written in a language called XML.

What is in an RSS news feed?

Usually, an RSS news feed contains news headlines, a summary of a news item and a link to more information.

Governor Minner offers three RSS news feeds:

• Press Release news feed
• State Of The State & FY2009 Budget Address
• Web Log news feed

When I click on an RSS news feed link, I see a bunch of code--not news. Why?

RSS news feeds are not "human readable"--they are designed to be processed and displayed to you by a news aggregator program.

What is a news aggregator?

Using a news aggregator program, you subscribe to news feeds. Like with an e-mail program, the aggregator automatically and regularly checks feeds to which you've subscribed. The aggregator retrieves updated news and alerts you that updated news is available. For example, if you subscribe to the State of Delaware's Statewide news feed with your aggregator, your aggregator will check our news feed regularly and pull down updated news if we've posted new information since the aggregator last visited our site.

Where can I download a news aggregator so I can subscribe to the Governor's news feeds?

There are many news aggregators available for most types of personal computers, and many are free. To learn more about RSS and also see a list of RSS news aggregators you can download, please visit these sites:

• Directory of RSS resources at Yahoo!
• RSS Quickstart Guide at Lockergnome
• RSS in Government

How do I subscribe to an RSS news feed?

To subscribe to an RSS news feed you must: (1) download and install an aggregator and (2) tell the aggregator which news feed you want to add, which is usually done by copying the feed's Internet address into the news aggregator.

How do I know when an RSS news feed is available?

RSS news feeds are often marked with small orange icons, such as or . These icons identify the XML file that must be loaded into the news aggregator to receive notification of new headlines. For example, to subscribe to a news feed, you could: (1) right-click the RSS or XML icon, (2) select "Copy Link to Clipboard", (3) switch to your aggregator and (4) paste the link into the aggregator's "Add a new feed" or "Subscribe to" area.

What kind of RSS does the Governor use?

The Governor's web site, like the Delaware.gov portal, uses the most recent RSS 2.0 format to notify subscribers of news items that have been posted. These feeds include the date, title, summary and a link to the full news article.