Most content publishing sites today have what is known as a ‘feed’. There several types of technologies that provide these feeds; the most common being RSS feeds and Atom feeds. They commonly appear on web pages as a little orange icon that says something like ‘feeds’ or ’subscribe’ next to it. On this site I’ve put it on the far right side of the navigation menu next to the ‘log in’ link. That icon and it’s white, semi-circular stripe pattern is the symbol for RSS feeds. This article focus’ on the RSS type of feed.
What are RSS feeds and how do you use them? RSS is a method for sites to broadcast new content or articles without your having to revisit them regularly for new content. It stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’.
Why do I want this?
- It is free!
- It is automatically delivered to your browser!
- You can setup feeds from each of your favourite websites!
- No solicitation! You will not receive obnoxious notifications each time content is updated!
- Feeds are really, really simple to use!
So how does it work?
RSS requires that you have a method to subscribe to the feed. “SUBSCRIBE!!” you say? “Forget it! I already have hundreds of passwords and e-mail addresses and I can’t keep up with them all!”. Don’t worry about the terminology. You do not have to provide any information in order to get the content you want. It is free and works very much like a bookmark except that it is dynamic so will automatically update itself as new content is published. Best of all, your browser has a built in feed-reader that manages the subscription for you.
How to subscribe to RSS feeds:
To subscribe to a feed you merely click on the feed link (or icon) and you will be taken to a page that shows you all the recently published content.
If you are using the Firefox web browser click on the button that says ‘Subscribe Now’.
Subscribe to RSS Feeds with the Firefox Browser
In Internet Explorer click on the link for ‘Subscribe to this feed’.
Subscribe to RSS Feeds with the Internet Explorer Browser
Voila – you have just successfully subscribed to a feed!
To get new content go to your bookmarks toolbar (Firefox) or Favorites menu (Internet Explorer) and click on the feeds icon for the site you want to read from. You will be presented with a menu of all new content. Just click on the link for the post you want to read and it will take you directly to that article.
How to delete RSS feeds
If for any reason you no longer want to subscribe to a particular website; feeds are easy to manage and remove.
Remove RSS Feeds in Firefox:
- Right click on the feed link
- Click ‘Delete‘
Alternately you can click on Bookmarks, then Organize Bookmarks, right click on the feed and click Delete.
Remove RSS Feeds in Internet Explorer
- Select your Favorites icon
- Click on the Feeds button
- Right click the feed you want to remove
- Click Delete
RSS feeds save time and effort!
RSS feeds are a fantastic service that really make your life easier. I have feeds for many of my favourite publications including National Geographic, Reuters International News, and many technical blogs and magazines. One of my favourite uses of feeds is at ByTheOwner.com. You can setup search criteria for a type of home you are interested in, and then subscribe to the feed for your search parameters. This allows you to save your info, and have it delivered to you without having to go back to the site and re-enter it every time you want an update.
If you have never setup a subscription to feeds I highly recommend it! You will eliminate the time you used to spend rummaging through web content. In addition, you only look at the information you are interested in, and it is delivered for free to your browser with the ease of creating a bookmark. Happy subscribing!
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