In the top right hand corner of each page on my blog is this orange button with the heading “Subscribe to RSS.” You may be wondering what this is all about. This article will help you to understand and use the RSS button.
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication (some say it stands for Rich Site Summary). Many internet surfers will book mark pages to return to in the future. The problem with this is that readers do not know if any new information has been posted since their last visit. With RSS you are notified when new content is available. The advantage is that you can read blogs in less time. Rather than you searching for new information, it comes to you.
So here is how it works. Websites that are updated often (especially blogs) will normally have an orange RSS button on the page. When you click on the RSS button, you will be taken to a page to select an RSS program or reader to use for reading the updates. There are thousands of readers out there. I use Google Reader to keep up with the blogs and news sites that I follow.
When you first go to the Google Reader page, you will need to register. It does not cost anything. Basically you provide an e-mail address as your log-in and create a password. After that you only have to log-in. There is even a button to check if you want to remain logged in on your personal computer. This will allow you go straight to your articles whenever you open up Google Reader.
Once in Google Reader, it will place any new posts from the websites to which you are subscribed. If you follow multiple websites, you can even organize them into categories.
So go ahead — put your mouse over the RSS button on the top right hand corner of this page. If you use or want to use Google Reader, then click on the Google icon to add your subscription to your Google Reader.
If you still have questions, please feel free to e-mail me at frankgantz@pulpit2pew.com. Happy reading.
