RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS feeds,
also called news feeds, simply supply a list of a Web site's
newest content. By subscribing to a Web site's news feed, you
can quickly see a summary of what's new without having to visit
the site.
Subscribing to a news feed is much like receiving an email
every time new content is added, but you don't have to give up
your email address or clutter your inbox to receive updates. You
can also track which content you have and haven't read.
How to tell if a site has a news feed
How do you know if your favorite site has news feeds? Look
for a small orange icon like these:
.
If you're using a newer version of Mozilla Firefox or
Internet Explorer, look for the
icon at the top of the browser window.
By clicking on the icon, you'll find information on the
site's feeds.
Reading a news feed
To access news feeds, you'll need a program called a news
reader. You can either use:
- a news reader installed on your
computer, or
- access one through a Web browser, or
- a Web browser with RSS feed built in
Desktop-based readers are computer programs that you download
and install on your computer. They operate as a
stand-alone program, like Quicken or Word. Feed readers are also being built into
existing programs. You can
read feeds in Outlook 2007, for example.
Web-based feed readers create a web page for your feeds, much
like Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail create a web page for your email.
Web-based feed readers usually require creating an account. They
can be accessed from any computer, whether it's your work
computer, home computer, or a computer at the library.
Newer versions of browsers, such as Firefox 2.0, Internet
Explorer 7, and Safari 3.0, also have built in support for RSS
feeds.
Here are some feed readers you might want to try.
Subscribing to a news feed
Adding feeds to your reader is slightly different depending
on the reader you choose. In most feed readers, you simply
copy and paste the URL of the feed into the feed reader. Look in
your reader's help documentation if you have any problems.
