RSS-enabled sites have files called "RSS feeds" or "news feeds" that describe the latest updates to the site.  News is only one form of content that can be distributed with an RSS feed. Other forms include discussion forum excerpts, software announcements, content published by electronic journals and any form of content retrievable with a URL.

RSS is an application of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) that adheres to the World Wide Web Consortium's Resource Description Framework (RDF).  Originally developed by Netscape for its browser's Netcenter channels, the RSS specification is now available for anyone to use. A web site that wants to "publish" some of its content, such as news headlines or stories, creates a description of the content and specifically where the content is on its site in the form of an RSS document. A user with a web browser or a special program that can read RSS-distributed content can read periodically-provided distributions. 

Once you have installed a RSS reader (see below), just check your RSS Reader and see all the latest content, all in one place.

The new Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) has a built-in RSS reader.

To Subscribe to an RSS Feed:

1. Download Internet Explorer 7 from here.
2. Install Internet Explorer 7.
3. Visit a webpage that contains RSS feeds.
   • The presence of an RSS feed is now represented by icon but is often represented by a  or icon.
   • A RSS feed icon  brightens up    if RSS feeds have been detected on the webpage
4. To see all RSS feeds offered on a particular page, click the down-arrow next to the icon.
5. Once you click on the down-arrow, a drop-down box will appear showing all the available RSS feeds.
   (Some websites may have single feeds whilst others may have multiple feeds)

6. From the drop-down box, click on the RSS feed you would like to subscribe to.
7. A new page will open showing the contents of the selected feed.
8. To subscribe click on the  link.
    
9. A feed subscription window will appear

    
    

10. Click on the button to subscribe to the feed.
    *Please Note: You may rename or add the feed into a particular folder from the drop-down box, or create your own folder by clicking on the button.
    (By default, your new feed will be placed in the "Feeds" folder.  To choose a different folder, select from the Create in: drop-down menu.
     
11. To create a new folder:
    1. Click on the button.
    2. A New Folder window will appear. (If you would like to go back to previous window without
       making a new folder, click on the button).

    
     

    3. In the Folder Name: text box, type in the desired folder name (for example: My Feeds)
       (You may choose to create the new folder as a subfolder, by selecting a root directory from the drop-down box.)
        
    4. Click the button. This will close the window and create the new folder.

    
     

    6. By default, your feed will be placed in the new created folder (for example: 'My Feeds').  To choose a different folder, select from the Create in: drop-down menu

    
     

    7. To Subscribe/save the feed, click on the button.
        

    8. The feed will then be saved in the My Feeds folder.

To view a feed:

1. Click on the 'My Favourites'   icon, and then select the feeds tab from the side bar.

2. Click on a folder (for example: My Feeds) and then select the feed you would like to go to (for example: LNS (Library News Service).)

To Subscribe to an RSS Feed:

1. Click on the RSS icon displayed in the address bar. (Please Note: If RSS icon does not appear, RSS feeds may not be available or it may be that you do not have the latest  version of Firefox).

2. A new page will open, showing the contents of the selected feed and a 'Subscribe to this feed using' section at top of the page.

   
    

3. In the 'Subscribe to this feed using' section, click on the button.
    
4. An Add Live Bookmark window will appear.

5. Click on the button to subscribe.
   (You may select a existing folder from the drop-down box for the feed to be created in, or alternatively you may create your own folder by following the instructions below):
   1. Click onto the down-arrow to browse folders.
   2. The window will expand showing all "Bookmarks" folders.

   
    

   3. Click on the button.
   4. A Properties for "New Folder" window will appear.
      (If you would like to go back to the previous window without making a new folder, click on the  button).

5. You can rename the new folder by clicking in the 'Name:' text box and typing in the desired name (you can also add a Description at this stage as well).
6. To add your new folder, click on the button.

7. If you created a new folder (for example: a folder called My Feeds), it will now appear in the Add Live Bookmark window.

8. To add the new feed to a folder, select and highlight the folder with your mouse and then click on the button.
9. Your feed has now been created.

10. To access your feeds, simply select Bookmarks from the menu bar, scroll down to a folder containing feeds (for example: My Feeds) and then click the feed you would like to go to.

11. Please Note: If there are multiple entries available for a particular feed, you may display the desired entry by selecting the feed and then clicking on a entry name from the expanded window.

• Electronic Journals with RSS Feeds

Feeds: Feeds are documents that list the latest changes to a website, often with brief descriptions and links to the full article. Sometimes called a channel. 

Podcast: A method of publishing files on the Internet, enabling users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically, usually at no cost.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication): A format for displaying the latest changes to Web sites and blogs so they can be accessed by an RSS reader. 

RSS Reader: A program such as Pluck that monitors a site's RSS feeds and delivers an alert when the site content changes. 

Subscribe: When you subscribe to a feed, you add it to the list of feeds that Pluck monitors for you. You subscribe in one of three ways: by dragging the subscriptions button into the Pluck pane of your browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox edition), by clicking on the PluckIt! Bookmarklet or by manually entering the URL of the RSS file into your Pluck folders 

XML: XML (Extensible Markup Language) is the Markup language used for RSS feeds.