WRAL RSS Feeds

Depending on whom you ask, RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary." An RSS file contains headlines, summaries and links that are formatted in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) so that they may be read by a program.

The most common use of RSS is viewing news with an RSS reader, also known as a news aggregator. There are three types of news aggregators: stand-alone programs, e-mail-integrated applications, and Web-based aggregators.

E-mail newsletters are usually delivered at a time chosen by the publisher. RSS gives you more control by always being available and staying updated. Another advantage RSS has over e-mail is that you don't have to supply an e-mail address to get the headlines.

RSS is usually a slimmed-down version of a Web site. Images and other supplementary information are not included in an RSS feed.

Yes, the most common integrated application is:

Yes, some of the most common options are:

News aggregators work similar to e-mail. Once you have subscribed to an RSS news feed, you will be given a list of headlines. You click on the headline to see a summary of the story, and then click the link to see the full story, which will open a browser window and take you directly to that story on our site.