Frugal | What is RSS?

What is RSS?

If you're new here, you may want to find out more about me. Also, please consider subscribing via RSS or email. Thanks for visiting!

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication.  It’s an easy way to receive updates to your favorite blogs and websites.  In short, it’s kind of like a newspaper or magazine subscription that arrives in your feed reader every time the blog updates.  This cuts down the need to visit all the different sites you want to keep up with.  The sites come to you instead!

What is a Feed Reader?

A feed reader is a place, sort of like an email inbox, where you can go to get the updates to all of your favorite feeds.  I prefer Google Reader myself.  It’s free, and if you use gmail, the interface is very familiar.

You can sign up for an account here.  After adding your feeds, you only have to check Google Reader to read your favorite blogs.  No more going to every single blog to read each post!  And don’t worry, if you want to make a comment on a post, you only have to click the post title in Google Reader, and you’ll be taken straight to the site to leave your comment!  It’s really easy!

This is not a great screenshot, but here’s an idea of what Being Frugal looks like in Google Reader.

 

Being Frugal In Google Reader

 

How Do You Add Subscriptions to Google Reader?

There are a couple of ways to do it.  You can go to Google Reader and click on the link on the left that says "Add Subscription".  Paste in the URL of the site you want to subscribe to, and Google Reader will try to auto-discover the feed and add it to your reader.

 

The subscription link is on the left, highlighted in green.

 

The second way is to subscribe from the site.  Look for the RSS icon.  Click on that.

 

Click "Subscribe by RSS"

 

You will usually be given an option for which service you’d like to use to subscribe (choose Google, if you’re using Google reader).  That’s all there is to it.

 

Choose your feed reader on the next page.

 

If you can’t find the RSS icon in the blog’s sidebar, most browsers give you an option to subscribe from the URL bar.  Just click the orange RSS icon, and choose your reader.

 

You can also click the Orange RSS icon in your URL bar.

 

What if RSS isn’t for You?

You can still subscribe to Being Frugal (and other blogs) by email.  Just looks for the "Subscribe by Email" option in the sidebar. 

 

Click the Subscribe by Email link.

 

Click the link and enter your email address. 

 

Enter your email address and the captcha.

 

You will have to verify your email address by clicking on a link sent to your email inbox.  After your email address has been verified, you will receive blog posts in your email inbox every morning.

What About Privacy?

I don’t sell, give away, or otherwise publicize your email address.  It’s used for subscription purposes only.  If you email me, chances are, I’ll email you back.  But you won’t be getting any spam from me or anyone else.

And This is Free?

Yep, it’s all free.  You don’t have anything to lose!  So give it a try today!