Send this page to a friend

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

Sections: What is RSS? | How do I start using RSS feeds? | How do I get a news reader? | Feeds from Bridgnorth District Council

What is RSS?

With the internet continuous expanding and the ever increasing demands on our time wouldn't it be better to have the latest news and features delivered direct to you, rather than you having to go and find them?

Well, you can, through a clever service called RSS. Although there are different opinions as to what RSS stands for, the majority accept it stands for 'Really Simple Syndication' and it essentially allows you to identify the content you like and have it delivered direct to you.

Not all websites currently provide RSS, but the popularity of it is growing all the time and websites such as the BBC, Shropshire Star and Guardian do provide it.

How do I start using RSS feeds?

The first thing you need, in general, is a news reader. There are many different versions, with some being software that's downloaded to your computer while others are accessed using a browser. All allow you to display and subscribe to the RSS feeds you want.

Once you've chosen a news reader, all you have to do is decide on the content that you want to see. For example if you want to be kept up to date with our press releases visit the news page and you will notice an orange RSS button on the right hand side.

If you click on the button you can subscribe to the feed in various ways;

  • By dragging the URL of the RSS feed into your news reader
  • Or, by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed in your news reader.

Some browsers, including Firefox, Opera and Safari, have built-in functionality which automatically picks up RSS feeds for you. For details on this, please check their websites.

How do I get a news reader?

There are many different news readers available and new versions are appearing all the time, here are a selection for different operating systems:

Windows

Mac OS X

Web

Browser

Different news readers work on different operating systems, so this needs to be taken into account when you're choosing your news reader.

Feeds from Bridgnorth District Council

We have the following feeds available at the current time

    How do you rate this information / service?