What is RSS?

RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is really simple! The idea is that if you have multiple sites or sources of information you like to follow, you can either visit each one daily to see what’s new, or you can use an RSS “reader,” which is a single site that will show you what’s new from all the sites and sources you follow.

So, if you follow things like blogs, news headlines, podcasts and video, you might find using RSS makes your life much easier. The results on your RSS reader, called a "feed", "web feed" or "channel," includes full or summarized text, plus information like publishing dates and authorship. That allows you to skim the current feeds to decide which, if any, you want to click on to learn more.

Still not clear on RSS? This video explains it in very plain English.

Where can I get an RSS reader?

There are many available, some of which are free:

Each one works a little differently, and subscribing to new feeds might be a little different, but the basics are all the same. Look for this symbol:

And click on it. Just paste the URL or Web address from the page you get to into your RSS readers where it says “add subscription” or something like that, and you should be all set!