What is RSS good for?

RSS is intended for delivering the information from source to users. However, it is an anonymous service, for example in contrast to e-mail notification services. The user don't provide his/her contact data to the information source provider but he subscribes to the RSS channel published by the provider. The user monitors the RSS channel regularly for new published articles.

RSS article contains usually a brief summary and the link to a complete article on the web server. RSS 2.0 allows to include the attachments (particularly multimedia content) in RSS articles, So-called podcasting is based on such feature.

RSS is used most often on news servers, in general on the servers with often updated content.

How can I start to use RSS?

First, you must install a RSS reader, which is an application that downloads new articles from subscribed RSS channels. Most existing web browsers include built-in RSS reader. Specialized standalone applications can be downloaded from Internet. Some web servers offer the service of web RSS reader (so RSS articles are then available to you from everywhere).

Next, you must find a server that publishes RSS channel and find out the address of this channel. Existing web browsers indicate the presence of RSS channel on the web server by displaying the icon in status bar or address bar. If you click on this icon the built-in RSS reader can show or a dialog window appear to administer the RSS channel.
If the web server publishes an RSS channel the same icon or button RSS or XML is placed on visible place.

Finally, you must add the address of new RSS channel to your RSS reader. Right-click on the icon or RSS / XML button and select the entry to copy the link location (Copy link for Internet Explorer, Copy Link Location for Mozilla Firefox). You copy the address of RSS channel into the clipboard this way.
In the RSS reader, start the action to add a new RSS channel. Paste the text from clipboard to the address field (generally by pressing CTRL+V keys or again through the right-click). When a new channel is added its content is immediately downloaded to the reader. Discover other functions of your RSS reader on your own.

You must monitor the subscribed RSS channels for presence of new articles. Upon the start, the RSS reader do this check automatically in regular periods, mostly every one hour.

RSS and the web server of PostSignum

Web server of PostSignum publishes the RSS channel PostSignum News in English and Czech language version. English web pages offer the English version of RSS channel only and vice versa. Only this web page contains links to both the language versions of the RSS channel.

List of RSS articles is identical to the News board displayed on the left side of web pages. So, RSS channel contains always (approximately) five last published news.

RSS channel is shared by both the PostSignum QCA and PostSignum VCA certification authorities. Every RSS article contains a notice, what certification authority the information applies to.

Informations are published in the RSS 2.0 format.