RSS (Really Simple Syndication) or web feeds are widely used to share the latest headlines or their full text. RSS allows content to be sent to you via a program known as a feed reader or aggregator. Many of these programs are available free on the web. A feed reader or aggregator can check a list of feeds on behalf of a user and display any updated articles that it finds. Web-based feed readers and news aggregators require no software installation and make the user's feeds available on any computer with Web access.
To get started:
- Select an RSS reader.
- Add the feed address to the reader. There are a variety of ways to do this (varies by reader).
- Read multiple web feeds all from one site.
RSS on-the-fly: Web Browsers
RSS capabilities are also being integrated into new versions of software, such as Internet Explorer 7. This version of IE has a "Feed button" in its toolbar. If it lights up, it means that the site being viewed offers RSS feeds. Click the icon to see the feed and, if you want, subscribe to have the feed automatically sent to your computer and can be viewed in Internet Explorer. If you subscribe, the feed is automatically added to IE's Favorites Center and to the Common Feed List for sharing with other programs.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.1 displays a blue "RSS" button in the address bar, indicating the site being viewed has updates available via RSS. You can choose how you want to view the feed, but the default is to save it as a bookmark ("RSS Live Bookmarks").