Tech Tips – RSS Readers


Tech Tips / Friday, June 17th, 2011

Do you like reading the same websites daily? Do you have slow internet? Are you lazy? Are you like me and like reading the same websites daily but have slow internet and are lazy? Well, I’ve got the solution for you.

Most websites these days are updated at least once a day and those that are usually have RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feeds. RSS feeds are updated every time a website is updated. Now, if we collect a list of the RSS feeds from all the websites we visit every day and put them in one spot, then we only need to check one spot to see which websites have been updated. This helps those of us with slow internet and those of us who are lazy by keeping us from having to load many different websites.

There are many RSS readers out there for you to try out and use. There are enough options that you can find the one you like using most. I use Google Reader because it’s integrated in with my Google account and I find it very easy to use. My instructions will help you import RSS feeds into Google Reader.

First, if you don’t have one, create a Google account. Second, open Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader). Next, in a new tab or window open the website you wish to add to Google Reader. On this webpage, find the RSS feed (often this is designated with an orange square with a white circle and two curved white lines in it). Click on the RSS link. Copy the RSS URL from the address bar. Now, switch back to Google Reader. In Google Reader, in the top-left corner click the “Add a Subscription” button. Paste the RSS URL and then click “Add”. The feed will be imported and updated without any more work from you.

Enjoy your summer by being a little bit lazier, like me.

 

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