How to subscribe to Web feeds
Web feeds are usually a collection of news items or Blog posts that are collated and aggregated through a single document which updates as new content is published. For you, it means that you are able to subscribe to this Web site, or any other Web site which makes use of Web feeds. In modern browsers you will be alerted that a Web site contains Web feeds through a highlighted Web feeds icon. On this Web site, I directly link to the Web feed document. There are a number of news aggregators that may be used to subscribe to the Web feed documents. Alternatively, most modern email clients allow you to subscribe and receive Web feeds in the same manner that you would receive email. All you need to do is add the Web feed address location into the aggregator or email client to receive regular updates.
What is RSS?
In a world heaving under the weight of billions of web pages, keeping up to date with the information you want can be a drag.
Wouldn’t it be better to have the latest news and features delivered directly to you, rather than clicking from site to site? Well now you can, thanks to a very clever service, RSS.
There is some discussion as to what RSS stands for, but the majority plump for ‘Really Simple Syndication’. Put plainly, it allows you to identify the content you like and have it delivered directly to you.
It takes the hassle out of staying up-to-date, by showing you the very latest information that you are interested in.
Not all websites currently provide RSS, but it is growing rapidly in popularity.
How do I start using RSS feeds?
In general, the first thing you need is something called a news reader. There are many different versions, some of which are accessed using a browser, and some of which are downloadable applications. All allow you to display and subscribe to the RSS feeds you want.
Once you have chosen a news reader, all you have to do is decide what content you want. Simply visit the website and you will notice an orange RSS button at the bottom of the page.
If you click on the button you can subscribe to the feed in various ways, including by dragging the URL of the RSS feed into your news reader or by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed in your news reader.
Some browsers, including Firefox, Opera and Safari, have functionality which automatically picks up RSS feeds for you. For more details on these, please check their websites.
How do I get a News Reader?
There is a range of different news readers available and new versions are appearing all the time.
Different news readers work on different operating systems, so you will need to take this into account when you make your choice.
