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RSS, or "Really Simple Syndication," is a way to display content an aggregation of content from frequently updated websites and blogs.  RSS feeds can be read in an RSS viewer, like Google Reader, and they can also be embedded directly into your website.  A good tool for embedding RSS feeds is RSS Include. This service, which is free, generates embeddable code according to your specifications that can be added to your website.



Here are step by step instructions to getting started with RSS Include:

1. Go to this RSS Include website (http://www.rssinclude.com).
   
   
   
   
2. Click on "Create a New RSS Box."
   
   
   
   
3. Select one of the free templates, and go to "Create Now."  For this example, we will use the "Simple Vertical List."
   
   
   
   
4. You should now see a screen that allows you to input feeds.
   
   
   
   
5. Now go to a site you want to get RSS feeds from.  In this example, we will use the Reform Judaism blog (http://rj.org).  In the right-hand column, under the header "Subscribe," go to "RSS this site."
   
   
   
   
6. Copy the address for the RSS feed, which for the Reform Judaism blog is http://feeds.urj.net/rjblog, and paste it into RSS Include, and go to "Add Feed."
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Once the feed is added, you can view a preview of the RSS feed that will be embedded into your site on the right-hand side.
   
   
   
   
8. If you want each entry to be displayed in its entirety, then leave your RSS feed box as is.  However, if you want to only show the first few lines of each entry, then you need to go to "Content and Styling Options."  There are several customizable options, including title, number of entries, width and height, color, text size, font, and so on.  To limit entry length, go to "Max. Length of Item Description" under "General News Item Options."  We recommend setting the maximum to 100 characters.
   
   
   
   
9. Once you are done customizing your RSS feed box, go to the "Include" tab.  Before RSS Include generates code for you, you will need to register.
   
   
   
   
10. After you enter your e-mail, you should see the following message on your screen.  Then go to your e-mail box, and activate your account.
    
    
    
    
11. You will then be prompted to create a password.
    
    
    
    
12. Once your account has been activated, you should see the screen below.  Select "Go back to your RSSbox" to retrieve the code for your RSS feed box.
    
    
    
    
13. Next to your RSS feed box, go to the pencil and paper icon, which is "edit."
    
    
    
    
14. Now go back to "Include," and you should see the code embeddable code.  If you are certain that your web server supports PHP, and you can select the PHP option.  Otherwise, the safest bet is to generate code with Javascript.  Copy this code into your website, and RSS feeds should appear.
    
    
    
    

Post your comments below and let us know how your experience was using this tool, and what other tools you would recommend for viewing RSS.