RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it’s a straightforward, standardized content distribution method that helps you stay updated with your favorite broadcasts, blogs, websites, and social media channels. Instead of visiting sites to check for new posts or subscribing to sites to get notifications about new posts, locate the RSS feed on a website and read new posts using an RSS reader.

How Do RSS Feeds Work

RSS is a way for website creators to publish announcements of new content on their websites. This content might include broadcasts, blog posts, weather reports, and podcasts.

To publish these announcements, the website creator makes a text file with the XML file extension for the RSS feed that includes the title, description, and link for each post on the site. Then, the website creator uses this XML file to add an RSS feed to web pages on the site. The XML file automatically distributes new content through this RSS feed in a standard format that appears in any RSS reader.

When website visitors subscribe to this RSS feed, they read the new website content in an RSS reader. These RSS readers gather content from multiple XML files, organize the information, and display the content in one application.

There’s a lot you can do with an RSS feed and an RSS reader. Here are just a few examples:

• Follow discussions on web pages and in forums without visiting each page to read the list of posted comments.
• Keep up-to-date on the delicious foods your favorite bloggers share and exchange recipes with your friends.
• Stay current with local, national, and international news from several sources.

What Are RSS Feeds?

An RSS feed combines information sources into one location and provides updates when a site adds new content. With social media, all you see is the favorite things that people share. With an RSS feed, you see everything a website publishes.

To find an RSS feed on a website, look at the site’s main or home page. Some sites show their RSS feed as an orange button that may contain the acronyms RSS or XML.

Not all RSS icons look the same. RSS icons vary in size and color. Not all these icons contain the acronyms RSS or XML. Some sites use a Syndicate This link or another type of link to indicate an RSS feed.

Some sites provide lists of RSS feeds. These lists might include different topics for an extensive website, or list feeds from many websites that cover a similar subject.

When you find an RSS feed that seems interesting, click the RSS icon or link to view the XML file that manages a website's feed. You’ll use this RSS link to subscribe to the feed in an RSS reader.

How to Find an RSS Link in Google Chrome

If you don’t see the RSS icon or link, inspect the page source of the web page. Here's how to view the page source in Chrome and get an RSS link.

1. Open a web browser and go to a web page.

2. Right-click on the web page and choose View page source.

   

3. Select Settings > Find.

   

4. Type RSS and press Enter.

   

5. The instances of RSS are highlighted in the page source.

   

6. Right-click the RSS feed URL and select Copy link address.

   

7. Use this URL to subscribe to the RSS feed in an RSS reader.

What Is an RSS Reader?

Think of an RSS reader like your email inbox. When you subscribe to the RSS feed for a website, the RSS reader shows content from that website. Use the RSS reader to view the content, or to go to the website. As you read each piece of new content, the RSS reader marks that content as read.

There are various RSS readers. If you prefer to read blog and news posts in a web browser, pick a free online RSS reader. If you’d rather read your RSS feeds in an app, explore the different free Windows RSS feed readers and news aggregators.

A popular RSS reader is Feedly. Feedly is a cloud-based RSS reader that is available on a variety of platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, Chrome, and other web browsers. It also works with third-party apps. Starting with Feedly is easy.

To subscribe to an RSS feed in Feedly on a desktop:

1. Copy the URL of an RSS feed.

2. Paste the URL in the Feedly Search box and select the RSS feed from the list of sources.

   

3. Select Follow.

   

4. Select New Feed.

   

5. Enter a descriptive name for the feed.

   

6. Select Create.

7. In the left pane, select the RSS feed.

   

8. Select the content you want to read.

   

9. To save the content to read later, hover over the bookmark icon (Read Later) or the star (Save to Board).

The History of the RSS Standard

In March 1999, Netscape created RDF Site Summary which was the first version of RSS. It was used by web publishers to display their website content on My.Netscape.com and other early RSS portals.

A few months later, Netscape simplified the technology and renamed it to Rich Site Summary. Netscape stopped participating in RSS development soon after when AOL took over Netscape and restructured the company.

A new version of RSS was released in 2002, and the technology was renamed to Really Simple Syndication. With this new version and the creation of the RSS icon for the Mozilla Firefox web browser in 2004, RSS feeds became more accessible to web visitors.

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