How to use RSS feeds

RSS feeds: what are they and how to use them?

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What is an RSS feed?

RSS ( Really Simple Syndacation) is the tool by which the users can automatically track updates on frequently changed content. RSS permits the user to receive alerts on updated contents on a regular basis (every hour, every day) and consquently saves time.

How I use RSS feeds?

An aggregator is usually needed to correctly manage RSS feeds. Put simply, this is a client program which periodically, automatically checks the user's subscribed items, and shows an alert if it finds updated contents.

Aggregators can be classified both online and offline:

• The online aggregators are located on remote servers and usually they offer services to registered users. Common examples include Bloglines, Google Reader and My Yahoo.
• The offline aggregators are programs installed in you PC. This category includes: Rss Owl and Mozilla Thunderbird. Further examples include Mozilla Firefox (and its extension) and Internet Explorer, which added native support for feeds to its latest release.

Two practical examples

Let's see how to add TXT e-solutions' feed to an aggregator and how to read updated contents. We will use Google Reader and Internet Explorer for this.

Online aggregator: Google Reader

Google Reader is located at the URL www.google.com/reader. It's available for users with a Google account.

After you have logged in, click on "add subscription" then in the box type the feed url.

You should now be able to read all the contents of the feed in the right hand pane. You can load the details of the content by clicking on the title. There are also additional operations that you can use to manage your subscriptions.

Offline aggregator: Internet Explorer 7

To add a feed in Internet Explorer you will need to open the TXT e-solutions' home page in the browser and then click on the RSS icon in the toolbar.

You will now see TXT's page of feeds; to add it to your collection simply click on "subscribe feed". In the pop-up you can modify the feed display name.

After this you will see a "success message" - you are now free to read and organize the contents.