What is RSS?

There are billions of web pages with millions more created every day. Keeping on top of all that can seem impossible.

Wouldn't it be helpful to have the latest updates and news from your favourite sites delivered directly to you, rather you having to visit every site in turn? Well you can, thanks to RSS, or 'Really Simple Syndication'. Put plainly, you just identify what content you like and it is then delivered directly to you.

Not all websites currently provide RSS, but it is growing rapidly in popularity and many sites, including the Guardian blogs, the BBC and the MFLE blog do provide it.

How do I start using RSS feeds?

In general, the first thing you need is something called a news reader. There are many different versions, some of which are accessed using an internet browser, and some of which are downloadable applications.
Once you have chosen a news reader, all you have to do is to decide what content you want. For example, if you would like the latest from the MFLE blog, simply visit the MFLE blog and you will notice an orange RSS button on the right-hand side.

If you right-click on the button (or Ctrl-click on Mac) you can copy the address and paste it into your news reader. Sometimes you can just drag the URL of the RSS feed into your news reader.

How do I get a news reader?

Different news readers work on different operating systems, so you will need to take this into account when you make your choice (see list of news readers).