Websites are constantly producing new content. It takes a lot of time to keep up with everything that is happening online. RSS feeds make it possible to be informed of the posting of the latest articles on different sites without having to visit them. We explain what the feed is for and how to use it..
What is RSS?
RSS is a data format system created to present the latest articles posted online. Concretely, the RSS feed is a text file in XML format containing various information such as the title of the article, a photo, a summary and a link pointing to the article in its entirety.
Most RSS feeds are accessible free of charge. Each feed is then connected to a feed reader also called an RSS feed aggregator. Once the operation is complete, you will then see the list of article titles from different sites or blogs appear..
This information is classified by publication date. Updates are done automatically without any intervention. You are thus informed in real time of the publication of new content from a single interface.
RSS feeds outdated by social networks
RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feeds continue to be used by most blogs and news sites. However, since the appearance of social networks, publishers have decided not to highlight this device. As proof, the small orange icon making it possible to detect the presence of these flows has gradually deserted the interface of the sites..
For information, here is the address of getFastAnswer's RSS feed: https://www.prodigemobile.com/feed/. If you do not have an RSS feed management system, know that the free FeedBurner service will allow you to read them very easily. Here is an example still with the getFastAnswer site: http://feeds.feedburner.com/prodigemobile/.
Although still present, RSS feeds are not as dominant as they once were, especially since the demise of Google Reader. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or Telegram with its channel system have become the favorite monitoring tool of many Internet users.
But beware, social networks do not make it possible to organize the different sources of information well (date of publication or classification on specific themes). This is why RSS feeds are essential for keeping watch without spending too much time on social networks.
How to subscribe to an RSS feed
To be able to fully exploit RSS feeds, the Internet user must use a feed aggregator. There are about ten in the form of an application or an online service accessible from a web browser.
- Netvibes
- Feedly
- Inoreader
- News Blur
- Flipboard
Here you will find a list of applications to read RSS feeds on an Android smartphone. There are many, many types. It's up to you to test them to determine which one suits you best.
Once you have chosen your reader, you will need to subscribe to the various RSS feeds of your choice. Some services like Feedly offer a search engine listing the feeds of the most famous sites. If the site is not in the Feedly database, you will have no choice but to follow the following steps.
- Go to the page of the site you want to subscribe to
- Copy the address of the RSS feed
- The latter is usually marked with an orange icon.
- Then click on the button add a feed then paste the URL in your aggregator
Updates to the site and in particular new articles will automatically appear in your RSS feed reader. You can then browse the latest news from your favorite sites from a single interface.
