Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Content Syndication with RSS is an American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Though it is also commonly known as a "sparrow hawk," because it occasionally eats sparrows and other small birds, this name does not accurately reflect the American kestrel's much more diverse diet. American kestrels also eat small mammals, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. In the summer, or in warmer climates, their diet consists primarily of insects.

American kestrels are the smallest, most colorful, and most common falcons in North America. On average, they are 8.5 to 11 inches long, with a wingspan of 19 to 22 inches, and they weigh between 3.5 and 6 ounces. Though males and females are similar in size, they differ in their markings and coloration. Both sexes have reddishbrown backs and tails and two black stripes on their faces. Adult males have slateblue wings and are redder than females. Females are browner, with reddish wings and black bands on their tails

Kestrels nest throughout North America in small cavities, such as tree holes, building eaves, or human-provided nesting boxes. The female lays between three and seven eggs, about half of which usually develop into healthy young. The off-white or pinkish eggs hatch after incubating for 28 to 30 days, and the young fledglings leave the nest 28 to 30 days later. While the female and young hatchlings nest, the male hunts and brings them food. Kestrels are quite noisy; their high-pitched call of excitement or alarm is a sharp "klee, klee, klee." Brian Sawyer was the production editor and copyeditor for Content Syndication with RSS. Colleen Gorman was the proofreader. Tatiana Apandi Diaz and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Genevieve D'Entremont provided production support. Ellen Troutman Zaig wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Joe Wizda to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. This colophon was written by Brian Sawyer.