Wednesday, June 02, 2004 12:00 PM
If you have been reading blawgs for any length of time, you are no doubt used to seeing a variety of little, typically orange, colored buttons. But what do they mean?
Well, for the most part, they signify that the blawg or website you are reading has a syndication feed to which you can subscribe using a piece of software called a NewsReader (you can check this page for more info on that subject). If you click on the button, the syndication page for the blawg will load. You can then cut and paste that syndication page's web address into your favorite newsreader. Note that from the perspective of a person reading blawg headlines via a newsreader, the different syndication format standards (e.g., RSS .91, .92, 1.0, 2.0, Atom, etcetera) don't really matter.
But, back to the little orange things... Here is a brief rundown of some of the most common graphics and what they signify.
= eXtensible Markup Language
= Really Simple Syndication version .91
= Really Simple Syndication version .92
= Really Simple Syndication version 2.0
= Quick Subscription button for Radio Userland users
= Bloggercon, the annual conference of bloggers
= Outline Processor Markup Language
= Atom syndication format