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What is RSS? RSS news feeds allow people to see when websites have added new content. You can get the latest headlines and video in one place, as soon as it is published, without having to visit the websites you have taken the feed from. Instead of having to search through dozens of web pages for the stories you want to see, RSS brings them to you in the form of a headline and a brief summary of the article. RSS - really simple syndication - feeds are, quite simply, just web pages, designed to be read by computers rather than people. If you don't currently use RSS, you'll probably visit several different websites to check whether or not they have been updated with new content you are interested in. With RSS, you let a program check your favourite websites automatically. You can then see at a glance a summary of the latest stories on each, and are able to read more on any one of them by clicking on them. How do I start using RSS feeds? The first thing you need is something called a news reader. This is a piece of software that checks the feeds and lets you read any new articles that have been added. There are many different versions to choose from but all do the same basic essentials that you need. Some of them are accessed using a browser, and some are downloadable applications. Browser-based news readers let you catch up with your RSS feed subscriptions from any computer, whereas a downloadable application lets you store them on your main computer, in the same way you either download your email using Outlook, or keep it on a web-based service like Hotmail. Among the best free readers are: Different readers work on different operating systems so make sure you choose one that's relevant for you. Once you have chosen a news reader, all you have to do is decide what content you want it to receive. We offer RSS for our all of main sections - see the full list. Your newly installed reader software will prompt you to add the names of feeds that you want it to check. Look for the 'Add Feed' option in the reader software and click on it. You will then be asked for the 'Location' or 'URL' of the feed. Simply cut and paste any RSS address from our list. The feed reader program will then check for the latest story in the feed and update your software accordingly. Depending on your settings, the software should then automatically check for updates at regular intervals. How often are the feeds updated? The news, sport, business and letters pages are updated at least once a day. Late-breaking stories will be added as and when they happen. Why are RSS feeds better than newsletter updates? Perhaps you already receive information on website updates through some sort of email newsletter. RSS feeds are preferable to newsletter updates because they are instantaneous and you don't have to wait until a designated day of the week to receive your summary. RSS feeds are used daily by people who realize the convenience of up-to-the-minute news and reports and the time they can save reading only those updates that interest them, and they look to become even more popular in the future. This list contains links to some of the most popular RSS feed readers and these stand-alone programs offer support for most RSS feeds: MyFeedReader Cost: Free Platforms: Windows Feed Reader Cost: Free Platforms: Windows SharpReader Cost: Free Platforms: Windows Feed Demon Cost: $29.95 Platforms: Windows (requires Internet Explorer 6) Pheeder Cost: Not stated Platforms: Mac OS X NetNewsWire Cost: $24.95 Platforms: Mac OS X Straw Cost: Free Platforms: Linux (GNOME) BlogBridge Cost: Free Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux Lektora Cost: Free Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux Plugins and Extensions These feed readers work within your browser. RSS Explorer Cost: Free Browsers: Internet Explorer Pluck Cost: Free Browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox Feedview Cost: Free Browsers: Firefox Habari Xenu Cost: Free Browsers: Firefox Sage Cost: Free Browsers: Firefox Wizz RSS Cost: Free Browsers: Firefox |
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