Super-Quick Tutorial on RSS Feeds
Background
There are two ways to get information: someone sends it to you (think email), or you receive it because you request it. "RSS" is a way to request updates (a one-time setup) and then to have your computer/device request it and download it automatically. RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication. And yes, it really is simple.
An "RSS Feed" is simply a way for you to tell your computer (or iPad, Android tablet, or smartphone) to see if there is anything new at a website you want to follow. The software takes a look at the RSS feed on a schedule and brings in anything new it finds there. It's just that simple.
How It Works
An RSS Feed can be monitored by your browser, your email program, or special software known as an "aggregator." They all work with just about equal ease, so you can use whichever type fits your needs best.
RSS aggregators for your mobile device — iPhone, iPad, or Android device
With an aggregator app, you can monitor lots and lots of your favorite websites, news sites, and other sources of information using one of these clever, sophisticated, and easy to use apps. Most are free. Here are three alternatives:
- Popular: For your iPad, Android tablet, or smartphone, one of the most popular apps for keeping up to date with RSS feeds like ours — as well as from around the Internet — is an aggregator app known as Feedly. It is available from the iTunes store or the Google Play app store. It's free.
- Better: For Android smart phones and/or tablets, we prefer BeyondPod or Podcast Addict from the Google Play app store. We like both of these better than the popular Feedly, but they all work just fine. Again, both are free, but there are advanced features if you want to purchase them.
- Deluxe: A full-featured option for browsers (I've only tested with Chrome) that includes all kinds of customization (for $4.99/month) is RSS Feed Reader by Feeder.co. Sort of overkill for most people, but if you really need it, it's great.
- Easiest: An even easier email alternative if you use Microsoft Outlook for your email (and lots of other email programs can do this, too) is found below.
You "point" your aggregator to a special file on the site from which you want to receive feeds. This is a one-time setup. Your aggregator app will take a peek (typically once a day) at this special file to see if there is any new content. If so, it will download the new content automatically! Sweet!
Copy the URL address below and follow the easy instructions in your aggregator app to set up the RSS Feeds you want to follow. If you want to setup your email as your RSS aggregator (instructions below), use the same URL addresses in this table.
|
Content you want updated automatically by your RSS aggregator |
Here is the URL address you will need to copy and paste into your RSS aggregator |
|
First, we have an RSS Feed specifically for members of LensWork Online that will inform you of any recent additions to our membership website. |
https://www.lensworkonline.com/recentadditions.xml |
| For updates to our LensWork Daily Blog, have your RSS aggregator follow… | https://daily.lenswork.com/atom.xml |
| If you'd like updates only on our audio podcasts and Here's a Thought… series, use… | https://www.lenswork.com/podcast.xml |
|
And finally, you can learn about each new installment of Brooks' project, Kokoro, by using… |
https://www.brooksjensenarts.com/kokoro.xml |
Receiving RSS feed updates in your email program
Each email program is different, so consider this an example rather than a detailed instruction. Let's say you are using Microsoft Outlook for your email — as no doubt many of you are. Over in the email section where your Inbox is, look for the folder labeled RSS Feeds.
Right-click on the RSS Feeds folder and then click on "Add a New RSS Feed..."
A "New RSS Feed" dialog box will pop up that asks for the location of the RSS feed. It looks like this:
Use the URL address from the table above to add the RSS feed of your choice. For example, the RSS Feed location for LensWork Daily is https://daily.lenswork.com/atom.xml. Type (or better yet, copy and paste from the table above) this in and click the "Add" button. You will be asked to confirm this with the following dialog box . . .
Click on Yes. That's it!
Outlook will take a peek at our RSS Feed file (usually daily, but you can set this up differently if you want to) and when it sees new entries, it will automatically download them to a special folder called LensWork Daily. (This way they don't clutter up your email InBox.) It all works in the background, just like email.
You can then choose to read the feed right in Outlook, click on the "View article" link at the bottom to open the RSS Feed location in your browser, or delete the item if it is of no interest to you.
Outlook will even tell you how many unread posts there are.
Handy!
Repeat this for each new RSS feed you want to follow and be automatically informed when updates are posted.
Other email programs work similarly. Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Eudora, Intellect!, and most others can track the RSS Feeds you want to follow. All you need to do is to set up each feed and then look for the inbound content. Unfortunately, the one really popular email program that doesn't do RSS feeds is GMail.
Receiving RSS feed updates in your browser
This is possible and some people prefer it, but it's not our first choice. We much prefer using an RSS aggregator app or an email program.
Each browser is a bit different but they are share some commonality so an example will probably help get you started if you choose to get our RSS feeds in your browser.
We'll use Firefox in this example.
In the upper left corner of any page at LensWork Daily, look for the link "Subscribe to this blog's feed."
Click on this link.
Firefox will open a window and ask you to confirm that you want to subscribe to this feed.
It's easiest to just use the Live Bookmarks default option and click on the "Subscribe Now" button. If you prefer, however, you might want to use one of the other choices. These may vary depending on your computer and your usage. Here is a typical array of choices . . .
. . . so you could use Google or My Yahoo! if you have accounts there. Notice you could also send the RSS Feed over to Microsoft Outlook from here if that is your email software.
If you use Live Bookmarks and click on Subscribe Now, you will see a dialog box asking where you want to store the Live Bookmark in your Bookmarks Toolbar. You can organize this link like any other bookmark.
Once you've click on the Subscribe button, the bookmark is created.
Go see how it looks in your browser's bookmarks. In my browser, I stored the bookmark where I keep lots of other photo blogs, so it looks like this in the drop down menu . . .
When you click on the LensWork Daily bookmark, you will see a list of the titles of the recent posts in a flyout menu.
Note that the ones you have already read will be indicated with an icon to the left, the ones yet unread will have the Live Bookmarks logo next to them. Click on any of the posts you want to navigate to and read.
Again, other browsers all work very similarly to Firefox, but not exactly. For example, if you are using Internet Explorer, after clicking on the link on any of the LensWork Daily pages, you will see a new page with this message . . .
Click the "Subscribe to this feed" link to subscribe. Here again, you can add this bookmark to your bookmarks toolbar wherever you'd like.
Which is better for you?
Unlike the email option described above, you will need to proactively check your browser's bookmarked RSS links periodically to see what new content is available — just like a bookmarked webpage. It's up to you as to how often you visit a website to stay informed. Obviously, the advantage to the email method is that you don't need to remember to check.
That's it! Have fun and let us know if you have any questions.
Brooks Jensen
Editor, LensWork Publishing