Intro to Web feeds

Virtually all blogs and most dynamic websites -- those that regularly add fresh content -- have Web feeds these days. Baseball related websites and blogs are a good example. There's always something new, even during the off season. If you're a fan, you'd probably want to follow at least a few of them. You could easily follow a dozen of them if you wanted to.

Web feeds make it easy to follow what you're interested in. There are feeds for just about anything you can think of. Your feed reader frequently checks with each of the blogs or websites you're following to see what, if anything, is new. You then scan the headlines and quickly view the content of any topics that interest you.

Web feeds work somewhat like newsletters, but they're a better solution. You "subscribe" to a newsletter by giving your email address to a mailing list. In contrast, you "subscribe" to a Web feed by adding the feed's address to your feed reader. That creates a "pull", not a "push" connection.

Your feed reader only pulls in new or unread content, and you only need to read what interests you. There's nothing to clutter your inbox, and you can subscribe or unsubscribe with a click or two. :-) [more on the web]

Example at NewsGator: In the left column of this screenshot you see a collection of feed folders. In the right column you see the content of the feeds in the "Software" folder. Each item has a synopsis, and a link to the rest of the item. (Links are not live in this screenshot. They are though at Original Signal.)

Subscribing to Web feeds

I suggest that you start by subscribing to the Web feed for HTCC Episodic. This Web feed includes notices when new issues of our CyberCoyote newsletter are online. It's a good place for an HTCC member to start with feeds. ;-)

Most likely your browser has rudimentary feed-reading built in. You may want a more capable one though. Come back here after you have installed it.

There are three basic ways to subscribe to the Web feed for HTCC Episodic.

If you're using Internet Explorer 7 or 8, click on this feed link. You'll see the contents of the HTCC Episodic feed, and there will be a link at the top inviting you to "Subscribe to this feed." Click that link and let IE put the new "Favorite" in the "Feeds" folder. Now click the Favorites icon (orange star) at the left end of the IE taskbar and then click "HTCC Episodic" under the "Feeds" tab. You'll see the contents of of the feed again. The contents will be updated when new content is added, which is infrequent, but you can check at any time you like. If you right-click "HTCC Episodic" and select "Properties" you 'll see the "About feeds" link down at the bottom of the Properties box, which will take you to help on using feeds in IE.
If you're using Firefox as your browser, click on this feed link. You'll see the contents of the HTCC Episodic feed, and there will be a option box where you can "Subscribe to this feed" using a reader of your choice. Choose "Live Bookmarks", and place it in a folder of your choice (Bookmarks Toolbar is a good one). Now go to the new bookmark and you'll see the recent headlines. The contents will be updated when new content is added, which is infrequent, but you can check at any time you like.
Your browser's native feed reading may be all you need. If you want something more efficient you need a more capable feed reader. Assuming you have installed one, here's one way to subscribe to the HTCC Episodic feed: Right-click this feed link and select "Copy Link Location" or "Copy Shortcut," depending on your browser. Paste the Location/Shortcut address in the "Subscribe" dialog of your stand-alone feed reader. No you can go to the new HTCC Episodic listing and open the feed contents.
The process may be a little different for the feed reader you have selected. These instructions are the general idea. Your feed reader should give you more explicit instruction along the same line.

Subscribing to other feeds

The generic process will be similar to the one for CyberCoyote. Look for the RSS badge -- , or or other link -- somewhere on the website. [more]

Sometimes you'll see "RSS 0.9", "RSS 2.0" or "Atom" links. Some feed readers, like FeedDemon, can use any of them. (I'd pick Atom or RSS 2.0.) Some readers can only use one of the formats. Pick the one that works for you.

If you see one or more of these -- , or -- and you are using one of the related sites as your feed reader you can simply left-click the badge, and if all goes well, the feed will automagically be added to your subscriptions. Sometimes you'll just see the link in text, for example "rss", "feed" or "syndicate".

The majority of feeds bring you news, technology or politics. However, there are blogs/feeds for all kinds of personal topics, and there are feeds for weather, traffic conditions, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Searching or browsing is one of the best ways to find feeds.

NewsGator: search for blogs and Web feeds
Feedster: search for blogs and Web feeds
Comic Alert: get your favorite comics