RSS Feed Basics

What is RSS?

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a popular XML-based format designed for quick and simple distribution of a website’s content. It allows you to easily keep track of news and happenings at your favorite RSS-enabled sites.

SamAsh.com's GEARDIRECT Alerts is an RSS feed that covers our website's content. By subscribing to it, you’ll be among the first to know about product sales, announcements for contests, new additions to our inventory, and more!

What do I need in order to receive RSS feeds?

Just as you need a television to receive TV shows, you'll need a newsreader to receive RSS feeds. There are many different newsreaders available, most are just applications that you download and install on your computer. Others are web-based services you sign up for that work inside your browser. You can find a list of RSS newsreaders here: http://allrss.com/rssreaders.html

How do I subscribe to RSS feeds?

Once you have downloaded and installed your newsreaders:

1. Go to the page where the feed is (for GEARDIRECT Alerts, click the link in the left-hand margin).
2. Find the feed subscription link and right-click on the RSS button .
   
3. Select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" to copy the address or location (URL) of this feed.
4. Go to your newsreader and add the URL of the feed.
   

Once you've completed these four steps, you're ready to start receiving your RSS news feeds!  You can repeat this process to subscribe to feeds on any websites you'd like.

All I’m seeing is code…why isn’t it working?

Sometimes clicking on a feed link results in your Web browser going to a page of cryptic XML code. If this happens to you, there’s no need to panic – just copy the page’s URL and paste it right into your newsreader. The software will then automatically retrieve and display the site's latest information.

What other cool places can receive GEARDIRECT Alerts?

Besides a browser and/or newsreader software, there are plenty of other cool applications and places where you can receive GEARDIRECT Alerts:

• Your Google homepage
• Google desktop application
• Your iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, and just about any internet-enabled cell phone
  

I still need some help...

If you have any other questions about our RSS feed, please email us or give us a call at 1-800-4-SAMASH.

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