There is an easy way to get only the latest information from your favorite web site. It’s called an RSS Feed (Really Simple Syndication), which is a line of code linking updated content on a web site to your RSS reader. Once you learn to use it, the RSS feed will save you a lot of time searching through web sites for new information.
Many web sites update their content regularly or fairly regularly (e.g., blogs, news organizations). Many of these web sites also have RSS feeds that allow people to “subscribe” to receive new content. Once you subscribe, links to new posts will be sent to your computer. You can determine if a web site offers an RSS feed by looking for “RSS” or the RSS button [see image].
You will need an RSS reader or aggregator to receive these new content links. Most web browsers include a simple aggregator. In Internet Explorer, for example, first go to the web site you want to subscribe to. Then, click the RSS Feeds button or link. Unfortunately, because different RSS pages have different steps, you’ll have to work through it all on your own. There are too many variations to include in this article. The simplest option, if you’re given it, is to select “Live Bookmarks”. Make sure you check the Add to Favorites Bar button, which will add a link in your Favorites Bar near the top of your browser window. If you click on that link, it will show you all the latest posts on that web site. If you want to read, see or listen to a specific post, click on it.
Many e-mail programs now offer the ability to download and read RSS feeds directly from the e-mail program. For example, in Thunderbird, subscribe by clicking on File, then on Subscribe. Enter the web site’s RSS Feeds address (URL), usually found by clicking on the RSS feeds image or link, and the e-mail program will do the rest.
There are also many separate RSS readers, some of which you can download for free at download.com. Google and Yahoo also offer aggregators. The common feature of all aggregators is that they automatically download the new content for you via your subscribed RSS feeds. Once you tell it to pick up the RSS feed, you simply go to the reader to catch up on all the latest entries. Most readers include only a short summary of the total content. If you want to read more, you will need to click on the link that takes you to the web site itself.
If you are a web junkie like myself, RSS is a very useful way to save time getting the latest information from my subscribed web sites to my computer screen.
This is the last article that I will be writing for the Guadalajara Reporter. It has been my extreme pleasure to write every other week in the Reporter for the past 21 months. But life moves on, and so must I. My partner just received a new job back in his home country of New Zealand, and we are moving there.
Thank you for reading my articles and participating with feedback and emails. If you’d like to follow our future adventures, feel free to read my blog at www.andrewanddave.com/davesblog. You can even practice subscribing to a RSS feed on my page. Adios.
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