RSS Guide
So what is this RSS thingy that everyone keeps banging on about? Our simple guide helps clear the fog, and explains how you can set one up.
RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’ although many people describe it as a ‘news feed’ that you subscribe to. It is a technology that is being used by millions of web users around the world to easily keep track of their favourite websites without the need to visit them every day.
In the ‘old days’ of the web, to keep track of updates on a website you had to ‘bookmark’ that website in your browser and manually return to it on a regular basis to see what had been added. With RSS you can have regularly changing web content, such as news headlines and update notices, delivered directly to you every time your favourite website updates. RSS also allows for reader privacy, as to subscribe to an RSS feed you don't need to supply any information.
How To Use RSS
To view RSS feeds you will need what is known as an RSS aggregator, or more commonly referred to as an RSS reader. The reader checks the feeds that you are subscribed to and then displays any new content. This means you don’t have to check individual websites for updates – the reader does it for you.
It really is up to you to decide what you use to check RSS feeds you have subscribed to. The best solution for you depends on your browser or operating system and the way you’ll find it easiest to follow the news.
There are hundreds of RSS readers available on the internet, and the majority are free to download and use. Broadly speaking, there are three types of RSS reader.
Desktop applications
Desktop RSS readers are fast and easy to use. You install them onto your computer like any other program.
Web-based readers
Free websites allow you to log in and check your feeds, a lot like webbased email accounts. Use a web-based RSS reader if you want to be able to check your feeds from any computer in any location.
Web browsers with built in RSS readers
The most recent web browsers have RSS readers built in. The latest versions of Mozilla Firefox and Apple’s Safari both have native support for RSS feeds, as well as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Viewing RSS feeds in your browser is pretty easy. To add a feed in Internet Explorer 6, locate the orange RSS icon on the website and follow the link. Feeds also appear next to the home icon in Internet Explorer 7.
To subscribe to a feed in Firefox, simply click the orange RSS icon on the page or in the address bar of the browser.
The process is very similar in Opera 8 or above and Safari on the Mac, the RSS icon appears in the address bar allowing you to directly subscribe using your browser’s built in RSS reader.
How Do I Subscribe To GGP’s Feed?
To subscribe to a feed, you need to add it to your reader. To do this click the icon located at the top of this page. This will open the news feed in a new window. You then have several options to subscribe to the feed via the ‘Subscribe Now’ box options (pictured right). You can choose to click one of the quick subscribe links such as My Yahoo or Google for example, or you can click on the ‘View Feed XML’ to bring up the actual feed page from which you can then copy and paste the address of the feed in to your favourite news reader. (To add the feed to your own reader simply follow the instructions provided for your chosen RSS reader. It will automatically keep track of your feeds and inform you when they are updated.)
News Readers
PC Applications
NewzCrawler
Feed Demon
Awasu
Newsgator Inbox
Mac Applications
NetNewsWire
Newsfire
Vienna
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