What Is RSS

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and it's an easy way for a person to gather and view current news items from different sources on the web in one place through content streams called 'Feeds'. You can see an example of this on our Industry News page.

Viewing RSS

To view RSS Feeds of the news from Al-Van and others you'll need an RSS reader (also referred to as an aggregator). This can be found in many places including:

• Firefox or Safari browsers
• Microsoft Outlook plug-in
• Online with a My Yahoo or Bloglines Account or the Google Reader
• More RSS reader options

Once you have your reader you need to configure it by listing the feeds you want to display. These feeds can be identified on most sites by the RSS Feed icon or the XML icon (which is the language feeds are written in). Simply click either of these icons and then follow the instructions. Most readers will automatically recognize the feed at this point and ask you to confirm the addition.

How Is This Better Than Email?

Unlike email where you have to 'opt-out' when you are no longer interested RSS puts the control in your hands since all you have to do is remove the feed from your reader. You also get to decide when you receive the content unlike email which is sent at the publishers discretion.

What About Privacy/Security?

Since viewing an RSS feed is similar to opening a web page the RSS publisher can only retrieve access information about your computer and/or Internet connection. They cannot access personal information such as your name, email or financial data. More information can be found here

 

Use the same caution when opening links and attachments within RSS Feeds as you would any website. Only open them if you are familiar with the source and be sure to update and enable your anti-virus program.