What is RSS and how can I use it?

I read many blogs every day. I keep up with them pretty easily as I use an RSS reader  to read them all and I get automatic updates whenever someone updates their blog. Still it surprises me how few of my friends use this service or even know what it is. If you are one of them, then this article is for you.

So what is RSS and why do I need it?

RSS stands for really simple syndication, but perhaps it’s easier to remember it like “read some stories”. It basically is an easy way to keep up to date with stories you like to read. For example: if there are a couple of sites that you like to visit, you would need to go there on a regular basis to check their latest stories. But if you subscribe to the rss feed of these websites you would get all of these stories in one place: your rss reader.

Subscribing is really easy too and you don’t have to provide any personal information to subscribe. The website’s publisher can only see that they have an extra subscriber; they will not know anything about you. If you no longer want to receive stories from a particular site you simple unsubsribe to the feed.

So how does it work?

When you visit a website and you see the orange rss sign you know that they have an rss feed. Now all you need to do, is click on the orange rss button or text like “subsribe to rss” and then select your news reader. New news articles of the sites that you have subscribed to will now automatically appear in your news reader.

So how do you get a news reader then?

There are various news readers to choose from. If you use an email program like outlook or mac mail you can simple opt to receive the feeds in your inbox. Other favourite readers are Google reader, Bloglines, myYahoo, and MyMsn.

My personal favorite is Reeder which is an iphone and Ipad app. I read most of my blog updates on my Ipad. Reeder synchronises with Google Reader, which is what I use to subscribe to the blogs. So after clicking on the RSS button or link, you will be asked to choose your RSS reader. I choose Google and the feed is added. To use Google Reeder all you will need to do is sign up for the service, which is free.

Ok I’ve signed up for Google Reader, now what?

Once you have signed up for Google Reader or the RSS reader of your choice,  you can subscribe to your favorite blogs and will never miss a headline. Subscribe to your favorite blogs and enjoy reading!

How to subsribe to sylviaontheweb.com

Just click on “subsribe via rss” in the top right corner of this website. Then select the newsreader of your choice. The feed will now appear in your reader.
If you like to receive any updates to this site the conventional way via opt in mail, just click on “via email” instead. You will then receive new articles as an email in your inbox. (for this option you will need to provide us with your email address).
Hope rss make more sense to you now. If you still have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.

Like this? It would be great if you could share it with others!