In order to subscribe and read the feeds you will need a news reader. There are many freely available options, a few of the more popular ones are discussed below.
Web-basedBloglines and the Google Reader are two web-based feed readers that can be used in place of a desktop client:
They have several advantages over stand-alone and browser-based options:
- Viewable on any platform, including Windows, Linux, or Mac
- Access to your subscriptions from any computer. Reading history stays persistent across computers, ensuring that you only view unread content
- Mobile versions for Internet-enabled mobile devices
- Allows you to save a post for later retrieval
- Includes a blogging account
- Subscriptions can be made public, so other users can read your subscriptions; this is called a blogroll
- Shows the number of other users subscribed to the same channel
Your Web BrowserIf you are using Firefox, Opera, IE7 or Apple's Safari, then you already have the ability to subscribe to RSS feeds built into your browser. However, as the number of your subscriptions grow you may find their functionality rather limited:
Outlook 2007
If your using Outlook 2007 it's an easy transition.
After you subscribe to an RSS Feed, headlines will appear in your RSS folders. RSS items appear similar to mail messages. When you see a headline that interests you, just click or open the item.
To enable the facility, select from the top main menu: Tools / Account Settings and select the RSS feeds tab. Click 'New' and enter the feed link then click 'Add'.
Read more about RSS feeds in Outlook 2007.
Stand-alone applications
Stand-alone applications are programs that you install on your computer just like an e-mail program, and some have the ability to be integrated into Microsoft Outlook:
The Web-Based vs. Desktop-Based Newsreader Showdown
Compares the most popular web-based newsreader, Google Reader, with the freeware, desktop-based readers from Newsgator.
Next: Keeping up with research
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