How To Use RSS Feeds
Since I posted last week on the addition to RSS feeds at my Book Sale Scout website, I have had a variety of inquiries about “feeds” in general. I wanted to take a quick moment to cut through all of the technical jargon you may find when researching RSS or other feeds to give a basic “how to use it.”
First you’ll need an account at a “news reader” service. Yes, yes I know, you’re thinking “not another account”, but this is actually an account that will greatly improve your online surfing efficiency and save you hours of time a week.
Personally, I use Bloglines, probably not the best, but I’m a long time user. If you look at the left sidebar of this blog, you’ll notice a variety of small buttons like Google, Bloglines, etc. These are used to allow users to quickly add my feed to their favorite news reader and will give you a few other ideas of readers to check out.
After you’ve created an account at the news reader of your choice, you can return to my blog and click on the button. This will allow you to simply add my blog’s feed to your news reader. Some feeds do not have this “easy” add feature. In this case, you’ll simply need to copy the feed’s URL and then return to your news reader and “add” the feed manually.
Ok, sounds easy, but why use it? Well, the news reader will automatically inform you of updates (if you choose) and additions to the “feed.” For example, every time I post here, you’re account will show (1) new item and so on until you read the items or at least mark them as read. Some feeds allow you to read the entire post in the news reader, others only give you a summary, forcing you to go to their site to read the rest.
The great part about the new usage at Book Sale Scout is that you can create your own custom search. For example, within 50 miles of zip code 20036. The simply click on the “RSS” button, snatch the url of the feed, and then add it to your news reader. This will now automatically update you of any additions within your search parameters, thereby allowing you not to visit the site once or twice a week to hunt for new sales. As you begin looking at your frequently browsed pages, you’ll become amazed at the sheer number of feeds available. Be warned, however, as it can be like Pandora’s Box. Personally, I keep two feed reader accounts, one for “essentials” and another for “fun” reads that I can login to when I have some extra time.
Update/Alternatives: Tech Ramblings from the Rare Book Trade, wisely corrects us in that opening a news aggregator account is not the only way to collect and read feeds. This is a good supplement to this post, check it out.
