HomeRSS Guidelines
RSS 2.0 is the standardized format used as the mechanism to publish content such as blogs, news, podcasts (audio files) and vodcasts (video podcasts) which is frequently updated by the author or content owner.
Users or consumers of the content need an RSS feed reader (also known as an aggregator) to subscribe to and view the "feeds", or published RSS content. The feed is usually a short text item with links to longer versions.
An RSS reader may be a standalone program or a component of a web browser, such as Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 7. The RSS reader will regularly contact all subscribed feeds and present them to the user without the need for the user to actively seek the updates.
RSS feeds are created using an XML format and published to the web server by the content provider.
An alternative to RSS is the ATOM 1.0 standard, which provides a more flexible publishing format.
| No. | Checkpoint | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | The information is presented using simple language | Priority 1 |
| 1.2 | Content is unique, of value to a given audience, and is updated on a regular basis | DEECD |
| 1.3 | Areas of text are delineated using headings | Priority 2 |
| 1.4 | Links are relevant to the text and the topic | DEECD |
| 1.5 | Explanatory text is available for each image | Priority 1 |
| 1.6 | The information is usable without JavaScript | Priority 1 |
| 1.7 | Colour and colour contrast have been considered | Priority 2 |
| 1.8 | The document is validated each time it is updated | Priority 2 |
| 1.9 | Place the orange RSS subscribe button in a highly visible location | Priority 2 |
| 1.10 | Use the <link> element to create a relationship between the web page and the RSS feeds |
Priority 2 |