What is RSS

What is RSS?

RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, allows you to see when new content is added to a site without having to visit that site directly. These can also be called news feeds or just feeds. By subscribing to a feed you will receive updates from a site directly to your web browser, feed agrigator or email cleint.

Why is RSS helpful?

RSS allows you to stay up to date with the last news or posts on a website without having to continually check to see if new content has been added since your last visit. This means that if new content isn't being added daily, you aren't required to keep checking a site hoping for new content, only to find there isn't any. It also works well for when content is added frequently during the day, as you will receive the new updates as soon as they are posted, which means you wont miss out on anything that wasn't posted when you first checked the site.

Who can I subscribe to an RSS feed?

Most modern browsers (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, IE 9, Opera) will let you subscribe to a feed simply by clicking on the RSS feed link, usually an orange button. The link will then open up the feed allowing the option to save it as a bookmark or open in another way, such as through Google Reader or My Yahoo. Using a live bookmark is the easiest way to access a feed as it sits within your browser and will update automatically.

Can I view a feed using Outlook or another email client?

Most email clients, such as Outlook or Mail for OSX, allow you to save feeds and access them from there. This is quite straight forward:

In Outlook you locate the folder in the left hand pane marked 'RSS Feeds', right click and select 'Add a New RSS Feed'. You then need to copy the URL for the feed from your browsers address bar and paste it into the box that appears and click 'Add'. Your feed will then show in the 'RSS Feeds' folder.

In Mail you select 'File' from the menu bar at the top and then click 'Add RSS Feeds'. Then click 'Specify the URL for a feed', paste in the feed URL from your browsers address bar and click 'Add'. You feed will then appear under the RSS section in the left hand pane.