Use and subscribe to RSS feeds

Source: Windows Vista Help: Using feeds (RSS)



What is RSS?

The acronym RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and is used to describe the technology used in creating feeds.


How to view if a web page offers feeds:

When you first view a website, Internet Explorer will search for feeds. If feeds are available, the Feeds button will change color and a sound will play.


How to view a feed:

When you visit a web page, the Feeds button will change color, letting you know that feeds are available. Click the Feeds button, and then click the feed you want to see. To get content automatically, you should subscribe to a feed.


How to subscribe to a feed:

1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Internet Explorer.
2. Go to the website that has the feed you want to subscribe to.
3. Click the Feeds button button to discover feeds on the web page.
4. Click a feed (if more than one is available). If only one feed is available, you will go directly to that page.
5. Click the Subscribe to this Feed button, and then click Subscribe to this Feed.
6. Type a name for the feed and select the folder to create the feed in.
7. Click Subscribe.


Viewing subscribed feeds in Internet Explorer:

You view feeds on the Feeds tab in the Favorites Center. To view your feeds, click the Favorites Center button, and then click Feeds.


Viewing subscribed feeds in other programs and on your desktop:

Internet Explorer provides the Common Feed List to other programs. This allows you to subscribe to feeds with Internet Explorer and read them in other programs, such as e‑mail clients, or the Windows Sidebar.

To view feeds on your desktop, you need Windows Sidebar active. You can launch it by hitting the Start button and typing "Windows Sidebar". Sidebar uses a gadget called Feed Headlines to display RSS and other news feeds. After subscribing to a feed in Internet Explorer, your feed should appear here. By default, Feed Headlines won't display any headlines. If you need to manually add feeds, click View headlines.




FAQ:

How does a feed differ from a website?

A feed can have the same content as a web page, but it's often formatted differently. When you subscribe, Internet Explorer automatically checks the website and downloads new content so you can see what is new since you last visited the feed.


Does feed subscription cost money?

No, it's usually free to subscribe to a feed.


What formats do feeds come in?

The most common formats are RSS and Atom. Feed formats are constantly being updated with new versions. Internet Explorer supports RSS 0.91, 1.0, and 2.0, and ATOM .3, 1.0 . All web feed formats are based on XML (Extensible Markup Language), a text-based computer language used to describe and distribute
structured data and documents.