Some Internet beginners ask themselves, what is an RSS feed and RSS reader or e-mail client? We explain these terms by means of traditional examples. The world is increasingly depending on finding information and communciation online, so you will find that an RSS feed and RSS reader or e-mail client will be invaluable once you learn the easy basic knowledge about them.
The RSS feed
Are you interested in a specific topic on the net and would like to be kept up to date? Then an RSS feed is very useful for that. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”, which means too good German “very simple summary”.
As soon as there is a change or news on the subject, you will be informed within seconds by the RSS feed. In principle, this technical help works like the good old newspaper subscription. The reader orders the newspaper and receives it every morning at his door or in the mailbox.
But unlike this classic subscription, the “delivery” via RSS feed is usually free for the reader . Incidentally, many news portals offer this electronic service on the net. So you can, for example, on the side of several feeds, and find out about the selected topics.
The “feeds” consist exclusively of text, so have no graphic elements or animations. Often they have a title, a textual outline and a link to the website from which the text originated. Click on the feed to get to the complete post.
The biggest advantage, however, is that readers do not have to visit each website individually to see if there is any news. All feeds can be viewed centrally via a program. The user saves time because he has to visit only one page instead of many. In order for the reader to be able to use an RSS feed, however, he needs a program with which he can retrieve the information. The RSS reader. To stick with our example with the newspaper, the reader must also get to the information. So open the mailbox, take out the newspaper and then read it. In the virtual world of the Internet, this is the RSS reader. The English word “reader” translates to readers.
For simplicity’s sake, we’ll explain two ways you can install such a program. One possibility is the application via the browser . So the program with which you get on the Internet. Again, the term comes from the English language area. “To browse” pronounced: tu braus] translates into German as a browse, browse or look around. With this program the Internet can be browsed literally. Well-known browsers are:
In the meantime, RSS readers can be used directly via many browsers. The user decides where he wants the information to be sent. In Mozilla Firefox by default the option is offered as a “bookmark”. But there is also the option that RSS feeds can be read out with RSS readers. Such programs must be installed on your device beforehand. Well-known RSS readers (partly free, partly payable) are:
- Tiny Tiny RSS
- Feedly
- NewsBlur
- Fever
RSS feeds via e-mail
For you as a user there is also the possibility to receive the information of the RSS feeds in your e-mails. The term E-Mail is short for”electronic mail”. This is the digital form of the classic postal item. Instead of a mailbox or mailbox, the shipment ends up in an e-mail account. As with the mailbox, you also need an address for the email so the recipient knows where to send the message. These digital addresses can be recognized by the at-sign “@”.
It is now common practice for Internet users to have multiple e-mail addresses. This way, private and business mail can be separated. Again, there are digital advantages compared to the traditional mailbox. For the latter, you must always go to the door and see if post office has come. In the digital version you will be informed when you receive mail. There are the so-called e-mail clients. Such programs allow you to manage all your e-mail addresses. In general, the clients make it possible for you to write, read, receive and send electronic mail. There are also many other benefits that such programs offer.
Even if you are not currently active on the Internet, you can access his “mail”. Users also save a lot of time.Imagine, you have four different mailboxes and a key for each of the boxes. You would have to go to each mailbox with each key, open it and see if mail has arrived. With the e-mail client you have all your mailboxes or mailboxes with a key in view. Even unpleasant advertising can block you. Similar to the “advertising-prohibited sticker” on the mailbox, they can eliminate unwanted mail. The best-known e-mail client should probably be Microsoft’s Outlook.But there are many free alternatives that are easy to handle. Ultimately, the best program is the one the user is familiar with. Test yourself out here,
Receive RSS feed via email client
But not only mails can be managed with the program. RSS feeds can also be received. There are only a few clicks and the client acts as an RSS reader. We’ll show you the example of Outlook. Go to the account settings, which you will find under the menu item “Extra” or “File”. It opens a small screen window. There you select the item RSS Feeds. After clicking on “New” you will be asked to enter a path. Enter the Internet address of the page from which you would like to have the RSS feed.
In conclusion
While it might seem confusing to start using an RSS feed and RSS reader or e-mail client, with this basic information you can see how easy it is to get started, and you’ll be up and running in no time!
