What's that button mean? What's that button mean? It means that the content is available as an RSS feed.
RSS stands for "really simple syndication" or "rich site summary" and is a method by which you can pull news announcements into your browser's Bookmarks or Favorites, via an RSS reader known as an "aggregator." The aggregator reads the RSS feeds from the Website you're subcribing to, so that the site's latest news items (such as announcements or blog entries) appear automatically in your browser's Bookmarks.
If you use the Firefox Web browser (available on the college's K: drive), you already have access to RSS feeds. Anytime Firefox comes across a Webpage with RSS feeds, it will show an orange icon in the address bar (the white space where you type in a Web address). Click on that icon to subscribe to the page's RSS feeds. Then take a look in your Firefox Bookmarks, where you'll see the feeds.
Similarly, the Thunderbird e-mail client (also available on the K: drive) lets you receive RSS feeds as mail messages in your mailbox.
Currently, Firefox and Thunderbird are the only RSS-capable applications supported by the IT department. IT is looking at plug-ins for Internet Explorer and Outlook that hook into RSS feeds and will announce support when testing is complete.
No, you can continue reading the announcements and other content on the college's Website as you usually do. RSS is simply another option.