The benefits of figuring it all out are two-fold:
1) Your visitors will return frequently if your content is updated frequently.
2) The search engines will return frequently if your content is updated frequently
IMPORTANT TIP: If SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is important to you, you must be careful to install the RSS feeds so that the search engines can view them. Do NOT use Javascript (which only offers benefit #1) ... use PHP instead (this will give you both benefit #1 and #2.)
If you're looking for something easier, RSS Content Builder is a much simpler way to accomplish the same thing. It comes in two flavors: free and paid.
The free version includes a very small sponsor link at the bottom, but it is SO easy to use. The paid version removes the sponsor, and gives you total control from your own server.
To try the free version, scroll down to the very bottom of the RSS Content Builder page, and click on Free RSS Reader.
IMPORTANT TIP: Read the copyright and usage restrictions on any feed before you re-publish it. Not all feed owners allow their feeds to be used on sites. Some publishers only allow personal use within a RSS reader.
Here’s an example of how the Surfnetkids Headline RSS ( http://www.surfnetkids.com/surfnetkids-rss.xml ) can look on your site using the free version of RSS Content Builder.
Here's another example with JUST headlines and no descriptions:
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