About RSS Feeds and Podcasts
RSS
RSS is a file format that is used to let people know when a certain website or part of a website has been updated with new content.
The service which alerts users to these updates is known as an RSS feed. A feed, like a website, is a file of computer code that your computer converts into something that can be read on your screen. Unlike a website, an RSS feed cannot simply be viewed in your browser window. To view an RSS feed, you will need to download an RSS reader (also called a feed reader or RSS aggregator).
When loaded into an RSS reader, a feed will deliver a brief summary of each update that is made to the website it comes from, along with a link to the updated area of the website.
RSS feeds can usually be found linked from a small orange icon such as 
or 
or 
.
Podcasting
Podcasting is an advanced use of the RSS format that allows the delivery of audio content (usually MP3 files) instead of an updated website.
When a podcast feed is loaded into a podcast reader, the feed will deliver a brief summary of new audio files as they are made available. Instead of providing a link to a website, this summary will include a link to those audio files. Users can then select which files to download for later listening, either on their computer or on a portable MP3 player.
