All About RSS

*What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

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*How to tell if a site has an RSS feed

Almost every blog or news website has an RSS feed. There are a few different ways to identify sites with RSS feeds. The first is if they site has any text declaring that they have an RSS or a link that says Subscribe to RSS.

Another way to determine if a site has an RSS feed would be if the following icon, or a derivative of the icon, were on the site anywhere:

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*Why use RSS?

The main reason to use RSS is to receive near real-time notification when new site content is added or a news item is posted. It is also a way to keep up with numerous sites, news feeds and blogs in one place. Instead of navigating to dozens of different sites and waiting for the page and images to load, RSS feeds can provide a way to aggregate a stripped down version of the site (headlines and opening paragraphs) with the option of reading more.

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*Ways to subscribe to RSS

There are a few different ways to subscribe to RSS. The top three are:

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*How to set up RSS in a Browser

Each browser handles RSS in a similar way.

In Firefox click on subscribe or the RSS icon and then select live bookmarks:

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click on Subscribe Now then name the feed:

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In Safari click on subscribe or the RSS icon:

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Safari will use your systems default RSS reader or live bookmarks if an RSS reader is not set as default.

In Internet Explorer click on subscribe or the RSS icon:

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click on subscribe to this feed:

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name and save the feed:

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*How to set up RSS in Apple Mail

In Apple Mail click on File->Add RSS Feeds…

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either select feeds from Safari Bookmarks to add to,

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or enter the feed URL:

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*How to set up RSS in NetNewsWire

Go to: http://www.newsgator.com/individuals/netnewswire/

Download, Install NetNewsWire and create a NewsGator Account

Add your feeds to NetNewsWire by clicking the + sign:

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then enter the URL and click Subscribe

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NetNewsWire allows you to check your feeds on their site, in the NetNewsWire application or on your iPhone or Blackberry. It will keep what you have read in sync across all options. More information can be found on the NetNewsWire website.

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