RSS Feeds
RSS is a standardized format for distributing news and other content from Web sites, to be displayed in RSS readers, on Web logs (blogs) and on other Web sites. RSS feeds offered by CommuterPage.com are listed below. Click the orange "XML" icons in this list, and elsewhere on CommuterPage.com, to get the corresponding RSS feed.
Commuter News Headlines  |
| ART (Arlington Transit) Alerts |
| ART and Transit News |
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ATP News |
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| Bike/Pedestrian News |
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BikeArlington News |
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| Car-Free Diet News |
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Carpool News |
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| Commuter Rail News |
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CommuterDirect.com News |
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| Local Transit News |
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Metro System News |
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| Paratransit News |
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Taxi News |
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| Telework News |
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Traffic News |
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| WALKArlington News |
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About RSS
Although RSS is most commonly used to for news, any content that can be broken down into separate items (articles) can be syndicated using RSS. The initials RSS stand for "Really Simple Syndication" (originally "Rich Site Summary"). An RSS file contains headlines, summaries and links that are formatted in XML (eXtensible Markup Language) so they can be read by programs and shared across the Internet.
How to Use RSS
The most common use of RSS is viewing news with an RSS reader, also known as a news aggregator. Using an aggregator you can quickly view the latest updates from many of your favorite Web sites from a single, convenient interface. There are several types of news aggregators, including: stand-alone programs, applications integrated into email programs and Web browsers, and personalized Web sites.
The instructions for subscribing to and reading RSS feeds differ for each RSS aggregator, but most can be configured to display only headlines or headlines plus a short summary, and in virtually any RSS reader you can click on a headline to view a full story.
Stand-Alone Programs
Some popular stand-alone news aggregators include:
RSS for Handheld Devices
Aggregators are also available for handheld devices. Here are two of the many programs currently available:
Email Accessories
RSS readers for Microsoft Outlook include:
Integrated RSS in Web Browsers
Although RSS is not supported in the Internet Explorer browser as of this writing, RSS capabilities are included in other browsers, including:
- Firefox (Macintosh/Windows/Linux). Firefox includes a "Live Bookmarks" feature that lets you add a site's RSS feed directly to your bookmarks menu or toolbar. If you see the Live Bookmarks icon
 in the lower right corner of the browser, you can click on it to add a page's RSS feed to your bookmarks.
- Safari (Macintosh) supports RSS in its newest version, called Safari RSS.
Web-Based RSS Readers
Several Web sites include personalized RSS readers. This can be a very convenient way to use RSS, because you can log into the sites from anywhere. Some popular sites with RSS readers include:
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