RSS and ATOM feeds

The Spat Blog, offers an ATOM feed so you can get all the info easily and quickly! ATOM is a simple way to read and write information on the web, allowing you to easily keep track of more sites in less time, and to seamlessly share your words and ideas by publishing to the web. ATOM is sometimes reffered to as RSS.

What is RSS?

"RSS" stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a standard for publishing regular updates to web-based content. RSS makes reviewing a large number of sites in a very short time possible. For us, RSS permits instant distribution of content updates to consumers.

What's the difference between RSS and ATOM?

RSS is just one standard for expressing feeds as XML. Another well-known choice is Atom, which is technically what we are using. There's a bit of a format war under way with the developers in both camps; only time will tell if the development community embraces a single evolutionary standard or not. Most feed users simply want fresh content and couldn't care less about the underlying protocol. As this happens, RSS is becoming the goto word for any and all syndicated feeds. Hence our use of the word. Most likely, you won't have to be able to tell the difference, as many RSS readers support both formats.

How can I read the feed?

If you already have a program use this link:

http://www.spatulatta.com/blog/atom.xml

If you don't have a program yet, you will need one. Special pieces of software called Newsreaders (or Aggregators) can scan feeds such as our feed, to automatically let you know when the site has been updated. Examples are FeedDemon, RSSReader (Windows), Bloglines (web-based), NetNewsWire and Shrook (Mac OS X). There are more are listed at AtomEnabled.org.

For a more detailed description check out:

http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2175271

http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/aboutrss