RSS allows you to read updates from a web site as changes are posted. Whenever a web page is updated your RSS news reader will display the new item. Keeping up with new content on your favourite websites becomes as simple as checking your email.
What does RSS mean?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a way to quickly find out new information on the internet, without having to look through irrelevant pages full of slow loading graphics and advertisements.
This is done by the publishing of short headlines and a summary of the item. You can then decide whether to click on the link and read the full article, or bypass it.
These summaries (RSS files) are picked up and read by simplified web browsers known as RSS Readers. RSS is used by websites to announce their own news and site updates.
RSS can save you time by bringing to your desktop lists of new headlines from your favourite websites. When one of the feeds you subscribe to is updated, you will receive an alert on your desktop. The headlines come with abstracts and links to the full articles so you can decide whether or not the item is of interest before you read the full article.
Getting going
To use RSS, you need to install a small program called an RSS reader. There are many RSS feed readers available and some of them are available as a free download. Choose one that suits your computer system and has the features you think you will require. Six of the most common RSS feed readers are included on this site under "Subscribe Buttons".
Once you have installed your RSS reader, you can configure it to alert you of new updates as they occur, or at regular intervals (eg daily).
Most RSS readers will come with pre-installed feeds but you can delete and add feeds at any time. You need to tell your RSS reader which online resources it should report on. Most RSS readers have an "Add New Feed" function.
To add an RSS feed, you need to paste the URL of the feed into your feed reader. One way to do this is to right click on the orange RSS icon and select "copy shortcut" or "copy link location" and paste it into the appropriate place in your RSS reader. Your reader will take the raw .xml file that the RSS feed is written in and display it in a form that makes sense.
