XML, RSS, ABC, WWE, DFO, AFL.
Okay, so you may have picked out a couple of those. AFL is a great Australian sport. WWE is wrestling, I know that much. DFO is where I buy all my discount brand merchandise. But after reading Adrian’s extract, I was left asking; what on earth are these computer geek terminologies XML and RSS? So I went to the library and hired a few books to find out what all the fuss was about. Just kidding… I googled it, of course. Turns out they aren’t too difficult to comprehend after all.
XML is a way to standardise the publication of online information so that it can be shared. It stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is a type of computer coding format which allows for both human comprehension and machine comprehension.
RSS stands for Rich Site Summary. It is a simple system based on XML that allows for the exchange of information between different services. This allows individual internet locations to interact with one another and lets the users weave between content locations for their benefit. It is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. For example: Many news companies now have created a RSS. Therefore may alter my blog to include an RSS feed from the New York Times which would provide breaking news updates to keep visitors in the loop of what’s going on in the world. By subscribing to a website’s RSS, the need for the user to manually check the site for new content is removed, as it can automatically be fed through a secondary display, or forwarded directly to the user through a variety of apps.
When I think of ‘Tags’, two things come to mind. Firstly, the annoying bit of paper on the collar of my shirt, and secondly when teenage dirtbags write their ‘tag’ with thick marker on any public property they can find. But who knew, tagging in the digital world carries other connotations. In fact, Tags are connotations. They are an individualised keyword relevant to the material. To refer back to the library reference, a tag would be the classification used to order books. George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones series would be found under ‘Fantasy’ or similar, just as this blog entry will be associated with ‘coding’, ‘networked media’, ‘tags’, etc. They can be subcategories, or overarching themes. Although since tags are created by the end user, differing opinions assign different tags to the same or similar work. Adding tags to works creates a network of similar texts, catagorising them, and allowing another level of simplicity in research which eliminates the need for the librarian’s help.
I still am almost clueless on how to use the coding language for XML and RSS, but that will come with time. However at least now I won’t have to pretend to understand what everyone’s talking about, deceptively smiling and nodding away. Comprehension is the first step and therefore I am one step closer to being the next Bill Gates.
P.S. Here’s is the icon for RSS, in case you were wondering what to look for on those fantastic sites.
