How to Subsbsribe to Blog article feeds using a feed 'Reader'
If you have found a blog you find interesting and would like to automatically receive future articles then subscribing using a feed reader is a simple and effective method of reading and managing blogs of interest to you.
RSS and ATOM feeds
A feed is basically a list of recent articles in a computer readable format. A program known as feed reader or feed aggregator visits the blog and collects the updates on your behalf. The article content is then presented in a user friendly layout.
Subscribing to feeds
To subscribe to a blog, look for the universal feed icon (shown on the left; an orange button with dot and two curves). Click on the icon and you wil be provided with a feed address (it looks like a web address e.g. http://web-duka.com/feed/). If you already have registered with a feed reader - the feed will be added to your reader.
If you do not have a feed reader - the web browser may ask which feed you would like to subscribe to. RSS 2.0 would is a popular option.
There are a number of feed aggregators to choose from:
- Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader) is a popular free web-based reader.
Other similar aggregator programs that reside on your computer are:
- FeedDemon (http://www.newsgator.com/individuals/feeddemon) for Windows - popular and free.
- NewsFire (http://www.newsfirerss.com) for Mac is free as well.
If you are not familiar with blogging - a good way to start is to search for blogs realted to what you are interested in, subscribe, and check your feed reader at the same time as when you check your emails. You can then get the feel of blogging from bloggers who have plenty of experience. If you find you have subscirbed to a blog you are not interested in - you can easily delete the feed from your reader.
This brief video explains what RSS feeds are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU.