RSS

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format used to publish frequently updated digital content. An RSS feed provides links to content on external websites. As with the Flickr web service, Ning PHP API provides an easy way to pull external RSS feeds into your website through the addition of just a few lines of code. Modifying this code alters the way the feeds are displayed on the page. RSS feeds on the SNOUT site are provided by two websites, earthwire.org and london.gov.uk. Using RSS feeds allowed us to offer two different perspectives on environmental issues (one local, one global) in a news-like format.

Figure 5.4 shows the RSS feed.

Figure 5.4: Flickr photos and RSS feed.