Our RSS feeds
HELP! What is RSS?
RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication. It's a way for you to stay in touch with different sources of news and information without needing to revisit your favourite sites to check for updates. Oh, and its the future.
If your favourite sites publish feeds, you can use a feed reader to subscribe and scan for updates. It will display the latest headlines, with a synopsis and link that will take you to the full content in the original site. So all the stuff you like comes to you in one place, as soon as it happens. Its genius. Did I mention it's the future?
It's relatively early days for RSS and the usability of feeds is quite a hot topic among geeks. There is to date no standardised way to subscribe yet. Hopefully this page will help you out.
How do I use RSS feeds?
1. Get some software
First you need some software called a feed reader (also known as an aggregator) with which to read your subscriptions. Free aggregators you could try include:
- For PC users: FeedDemon
- For Mac users: NewsFire
- Windows/Mac/Linux: Amphetadesk
- Browser with built-in aggregator: Firefox (There's no need for any extra software if you browse with Firefox.)
- Web-based reader: Bloglines (Web-based readers are cool in the way that webmail is... you can pick up your feeds on any computer, in any browser.)
2. Give the URL of a feed to your new Feed Reader
Your new aggregator is hungry... feed it! Subscribing to a feed involves passing the URL of the feed (from the address bar of your browser) to your aggregator. This is often done by copying and pasting, but it differs from one aggregator to another.
3. How do I find good feeds to subscribe to?
You can start by choosing from our feeds. Thats why you're here isn't it?
Not all sites offer feeds (yet!), but here's a few RSS-friendly sites to get you started:
As you browse the web, keep an eye out for the orange buttons that people sometimes use to advertise their feeds. They might say RSS or XML (the data format which RSS uses).
There are moves to make this icon 
the standard.
If you use a browser with built-in RSS support it may automatically discover when feeds are available and display an icon in the address bar (Safari) or the status bar (Firefox).
4. I clicked an RSS link and just see a page of code!
Good, that's the feed data. Give the URL from the address bar to your aggregator and that's it - you're up and running.
Like I said, usability of feeds is a bit of a mess. But once you get the hang of it, a whole new interweb opens up before your eyes. Keep the faith
I'm still confused!
You're not alone... maybe these links will help:
- This BBC guide explains it all better than I do.
- Wikipedia: RSS (file format)
When you get the hang of using feeds, a whole new web opens up before your eyes!