Using RSS Feeds
By: Brooke Long and Jenny Rough

So you want to keep track of the blogs you enjoy reading, like, say, my blog Roughly Speaking or Brooke’s blog which has yet to be titled (she’s debating between Catabloga or The Long and the Short of It. Any other suggestions?). Keeping track of two blogs is one thing, but once you’re hooked on five, or twenty, or fifty, you might have trouble remembering the links. Or maybe you can remember the links, but you tend to forget to check them and then fall behind on the current news and happenings of your favorite sources. Or maybe you remember the links and remember to check them, but wish there was an easier way to track everything. There is. It’s called an RSS feed.    

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. Basically, an RSS feed, well, “feeds” you content from a variety of sources on the web so that you don’t have to search for it. That content may come from blogs, e-zines, newspapers, podcasts – you name it. If you publish your own web content, you can add an RSS icon to your site, giving others the opportunity to sign up and receive summaries of your updates.

How does an RSS feed work? Here’s where the explaining gets technical, so I’m turning the article over to Brooke.

Brooke?

          Okay, follow these four simple steps:

Step 1 - Obtain a Feed Reader: To receive content, you will need a feed reader. Some email programs automatically include them (i.e. Thunderbird), or you can obtain one by visiting Feed Reader (Feed Reader happens to be a favorite among many, although Feed Burner is another good option). Whichever route you choose, you will have to create a new account.   

Step 2 - Visit Roughly Speaking (or the particular blog, website, e-zine, etc. from which you want to receive content updates): The site from which you want to receive content updates will have an orange icon on it like this:  or    (for example, if you visit Roughly Speaking, you’ll see the orange icon on the right side of the blog).

Step – 3 Click and Copy: Click on the orange icon (or on the label next to the icon that says “RSS feed”). You will be directed to a new page. Copy the web address from that new page (don’t worry if the address looks like gibberish).

Step 4 - Return to Your Feed Reader and Paste: Once you’ve copied the web address, return to your feed reader and paste that address under your new subscriptions section.  Now every time that particular feed is updated, you will be notified.

Step 5 - Repeat: Repeat steps 2-4 for each site from which you want to receive content updates.

And now, back to you Jenny . . .

There you have it folks. If you want to add an RSS feed icon to your own site (so that others can sign up to receive your content), or if you have further questions, contact Brooke at 952.496.2186 or brooke.long@cataluna.com. She’ll be more than happy to help you out.     
 

Jenny Rough is a freelance writer. In addition to writing magazine articles, she writes the blog Roughly Speaking.

© Cataluña 1999