What Is It?
A RSS feed is a type of web document that is
similar to a web page yet different in several ways.
Rather than you visiting the page, it is designed for
a program (whether an application on your computer or
an application through a web page) to automatically visit
the links of feeds to which you have subscribed, check
to see if anything is new, and then give you an aggregate
of all the new content from many different locations.
In this way you can have your computer quickly and easily
gather up new content from many different websites and
present it to you all at once without going to each one
individually.
Do I read a RSS feed?
The page is described through a text file that is not designed
for human readers... this file is called an RSS XML file. With most of
the readers, you will enter the URL (location) of the feed and the program
will do the rest! The location for our feed is:
What type of content is distributed?
The topics for available content is unlimited... however the
file formats consists primarily of text, video, and audio files. Some
of the various aggregators (computer programs) specialize in one type
or another, while others can handle all three.
So what exactly is a 'Podcast'?
As Apple's iPod became famous, the term originated as audio
(and later video) content was designed to download directly to their
portable device. The term became a marriage of 'iPod' and 'broadcast.'
Today the term has transcended the Apple iPod to include any digital
file that is distributed via RSS feeds.
What is a subscription?
A subscription is simply when you request your computer program
(often called an aggregator) to periodically check a specific feed to
see if anything has changed. The methods for subscribing to a feed vary
from program to program.
What is an aggregator?
An aggregator is a computer program, whether on your computer
or on a web page, that allows you to subscribe to a feed and read the
contents. The links to the right are many popular aggregators. Aggregators
are also commonly known as 'podcatchers' or 'podcast receivers'.
What is the difference between an application on the computer and
on the web?
Both perform similar functions and have their positives and
negatives. A web based aggregator is available from any computer with
an internet connection, while the computer-based program 'lives' only
on your computer.
Must I install an aggregator to listen to the audio wine tastings?
No... the audio files are available by simply clicking on
the links. This will allow you to download and listen to the audio
file of your choice. If you choose this method, make sure you check
this page regularly to see if we've posted a new wine!