What are Feeds

Many websites have links labeled "XML" or "RSS" or "Atom". All of these are ways of saying that you can find out about updates to that site without having to visit the site in your web browser.

This feature is referred to as "syndication" or "aggregation". Sometimes it's just called subscribing. And these days, instead of one of these words, lots of sites will use a little orange button. The standard one looks like this: Feed Icon

Why Feeds? Benefits and Reasons for using Feeds

Feeds solve a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site's email newsletter. The number of sites offering feeds is growing rapidly and includes big names like Google News.

What do I need to do to read a Feed?

Feed Reader or News Aggregator software allow you to grab the feeds from various sites and display them for you to read and use.

A variety of Feed Readers are available for different platforms. Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac) and FeedReader (Windows). There are also a number of web-based feed readers available. Google Reader and Bloglines are popular web-based feed readers.

Once you have your Feed Reader, it is a matter of finding sites that syndicate content and adding their feed to the list of feeds your Feed Reader checks.

Cultural Awards 2008 Winners Announced

Recent Blogs Feed (?)

Blog

  1. May 29, 2008

    "Cities must trade in cultural cringe for a growing sense of confidence in our distinctiveness. They must try to be somewhere, not anywhere in the extended global sprawl of electronic suburbia. Cities must wilfully believe that the unique combination of events that may fuse here is just as compelling as those that may fuse somewhere else. Cities need to involve their people in making and remaking their own mythology, and create something that is truly unique." Marcus Westbury

  2. May 21, 2008

    'We must now give greater recognition to culture as a contributor to truly sustainable development that respects people and environments, and serves the cause of dialogue and peace. In this way we shall be able to recover the sense of our joint commitment to promoting “the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”.' Koïchiro Matsuura - Director-General of UNESCO. PDF Here

  3. April 17, 2008

    "Writing about culture is like trying to catch a butterfly with a pin" ... Miriam Lyons on bigger picture cultural change.