Subscribing to Blogs: A Quick Explination of RSS
If you have seen an orange button or been asked to subscribe to a blog and you have no clue what that means, you are in the right place.
What is RSS?
The web is always changing and websites, especially blogs, are always being updated. Going to each of these sites one by one to find out if they have been updated is a very unproductive process. RSS (Really Simple Syndication), is a technology that brings all the updated material to you.
The term “Subscription” is very helpful. Just like when you subscribe to a magazine and it is delivered to your mailbox, when you subscribe to a blog, the new material is delivered to your virtual mailbox called a “RSS Reader” or “Feed Reader.” Trust me, this is not a technology only for the tech savvy, it is very simple. Here is how to make it work for you.
What is a RSS Reader?
A RSS Reader is the place you go to read your feeds. A few of the most popular feed readers are Google Reader, Bloglines, and MyYahoo. If you already have a Gmail account, I highly suggest using the Google Reader because of the integration with your account.
If you think getting a RSS Reader sounds like to much trouble but still want to subscribe to a blog, many blogs, including this one, will allow you to subscribe via email.
Getting Started:
Subscribe to the feed - You can find a link to the feed in 2 places.
- On the site – look for the the the word Subscribe, RSS, or the standard RSS icon, or a variation of the icon. Click on it
- In your browser – If a site has RSS cababilities, it will either show the orange RSS icon, or the letters RSS will appear. Click on it.
Once you have clicked on either of these you will be taken to a screen that will allow you to choose your reader of choice.
I hope that you have been convinced to use RSS to make your life a little easier. If so, make sure you subscribe to this site via RSS or via Email.
If you are a visual learner and all you just read was blah, blah, blah, blah…. enjoy this:
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