How to Subscribe to RSS Feeds

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Summary

Once you pick an RSS feed reader, it is time to subscribe to RSS feeds.

To subscribe to an RSS feed:

• Follow the instructions of your RSS feed reader. Each RSS feed reader is a little different.
• On a website or blog with a feed, find the RSS icon or button, left click, and see if the RSS Feed has information to help subscribe.
• On a website or blog with a feed, find the RSS icon or button, right click, copy link location, and paste the URL into your RSS feed reader.
• On a website or blog with a feed, find the button for your particular RSS Feed Reader, click and follow instructions.

Detail

One of the weaknesses of RSS is that there is no easy method to subscribe to feeds. There is not a "one click" method to pick an RSS Feed and subscribe to it.

Subscribing to the RSS feeds is the only manual task involved in the process of using the RSS feed reader. After you have subscribed to the feeds, the RSS Feeder takes over the process of

• Reading each RSS feed,
• Finding any item that is new,
• Delivering each new item to the RSS reader for your reading pleasure.

Follow the instructions of your RSS Feed Reader.

Each RSS Feed reader is a little different. Each one has a different process to subscribe to feeds. The instructions are usually clear.

Here are some videos describing the process for subscribing to RSS Feeds.

Google Reader

A flash video on how to subscribe to RSS feeds using Google Reader.

How to Use RSS Feeds with Firefox

Using Firefox and the add-on called Brief to Subscribe to RSS Feeds.

How to Subscribe RSS Feed

General Instructions on How to Subscribe to an RSS Feed.

Find the RSS icon or button and subscribe.

Websites and blogs that have feeds want you to subscribe. They provide buttons like those seen below. The process is:

• Right click on the RSS icon or button.
• Select Copy Link Location to copy the URL of the feed.
• Go to your RSS Feed Reader.
• Paste the URL into your Feed reader.

Find the RSS icon or button, left click, follow instructions, and subscribe.

Websites and blogs that have feeds want you to subscribe. They provide buttons like those seen below. Click on the buttons to see the RSS feed. Many RSS feeds contain information that helps with subscribing.

Note: The following buttons are all live and point to the RSS Reference feed for this tutorial. The feed uses a service that provides information on how to subscribe.

Find the RSS icon or button, right click, and subscribe.

Websites and blogs that have feeds want you to subscribe. They provide buttons like those seen below. The process is:

• Right click on the RSS icon or button.
• Select Copy Link Location to copy the URL of the feed.
• Go to your RSS Feed Reader.
• Paste the URL into your Feed reader.

Note: To enable you to see how it works, the buttons are "live" and point to the RSS Tutorial Change Log feed for this tutorial. This feed does not have information to aid in subscribing.

Use the button for your RSS Feed Reader.

Websites and blogs that have RSS feeds often add buttons that make it easy to subscribe using the common RSS feed readers. Buttons for some of the common readers are shown here.

If the webmaster has provided one or more of these buttons, click on the button for your RSS feed reader and follow the instructions. This is probably the easiest way to subscribe, but not all webmasters include these buttons.

Note: To enable you to see how it works, the buttons are "live" and point to the RSS Reference feed for this tutorial.

IF

you have an RSS reader and
you know how to subscribe to a feed,

THEN

how do you find feeds?