Once you've picked an RSS reader, you can add feeds to it. A feed is information
obtained from a Web site, usually a list of the Web site's content with links,
that updates any time the site updates. Most sites with available feeds will
have a specific link, or an orange icon like this , or maybe like this , that will let you know a feed
is available. When you see that icon, you have the ability to subscribe to that
site's feed. Subscribing is like advanced bookmarking, only this is a bookmark
that comes to you instead of you going to it. To add a feed, follow the
site's link and the instructions your reader provides. Since there are many
readers, and each can add feeds its own way, it's best to follow your reader's
specific instructions. Once subscribed, you should see a slimmed-down
version of the content with your reader. It could be a heading only or a heading
with a brief description. Want to read the full article? It should have a link
to visit the full version on the site. Why is RSS becoming so
popular? Imagine you add 12 feeds to your reader. If you want
to check to see what feeds have new content, just open your reader and refresh
the feeds. It cycles though and shows which ones have new content since you last
visited them. You no longer have to visit every site to see what's new. In just
seconds you can see all your feeds and what has new and updated content. This is
a major time-saving tool that more people use every day.
