RSS Feeds... buzz or benefit?

What is an RSS feed?

RSS (really simple syndication) is web technology you can use to have new information from your favorite websites come to you. Instead of having to visit numerous websites looking for new content, RSS feeds will "pull" in the latest news and make it instantly accessible.

Advantages:

• Saves you time by not needing to visit individual websites.
• Ensures privacy. You won't need to register for email newsletters.

How do I subscribe to an RSS feed?

When you see RSS or XML buttons ( usually orange ) it means the website has an RSS feed you can subscribe to.

Just clicking on the button won't subscribe you to the feed. You need to click the button then copy the URL of the RSS feed page and paste it into your feed reader.

From then on your feed reader will go and check all your subscriptions (usually once an hour).

What do I need to use RSS feeds?

Feed reader and aggregator software allows users to take advantage of RSS feeds although they often require registration and software installation. The good news is that the latest browsers like Internet Explorer (IE) and FireFox have built-in RSS feed support.

How to subscribe using Internet Explorer (IE):

When you click an orange subscribe button or link you will go to a page which looks something like this...

Click the "Subscribe to this feed" link ...

Then click "Subscribe" ...

Now, when you check "feeds" in "favorites", websites with the titles in bold will have new content.

Are RSS feeds a benefit? Sure... as long as you don't over do. There is such a thing as too many feeds... oldmanweb says, "less is more"!