What is RSS?

RSS is a new way of reading websites. RSS feeds automatically send news and stories to your computer, without you even having to visit the website, saving you time and effort. Therefore, as soon as any new content has been added an RSS website, it is sent to your PC browser or NewsReader (see below).

RSS feeds are in fact just a special kind of web page. The BBC website describes them as: "the free, internet version of the old-fashioned ticker-tape news wire machines".

Using RSS Feeds

To use RSS feeds you will need to have a programme called a NEWSREADER. Some browsers have built-in newsreaders, such as Opera, Thunderbird and the new version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, IE7.

However, if you do not have one of these Internet Browsers, you have a choice of different sorts of Newsreaders, including Browser-based Newsreaders and Downloadable Newsreaders. Browser-based readers let you log-in to a page on the Internet where all your favourite RSS feeds will contain the information you want. Downloadable readers must be installed on your PC and will let you view RSS feeds direct to the computer. We recommend the following options:

Browser-based: NewsGator

Downloadable: GreatNews RSS Reader

Once you have chosen a NewsReader service, follow the instructions to find out how to access the feeds. This will normally mean clicking on the RSS feed button, where you will normally find an option to subscribe to the news service: