RSS feeds are a great way of keeping updated on what blogs and websites publish on a regular basis. Aggregators are feed readers used to organize news feeds from as many URLs you want.
How Do Aggregators Accomplish This
It has become good practice for websites and blogs to have their own RSS feeds. This enables readers to remain associated with their site when they subscribe to the feed. Visitors then have the choice to sign up for the newsletter or subscribe to the RSS, which for some is more desirable and less risky.
News aggregators collect the latest news from the sources you select and then place it in one location for you to view.
Using feed aggregators saves you time and effort. The process is simple; subscribe to a particular news feed and enter it into your feed aggregator. Updates are gathered at the intervals you determine and the results are displayed on your site. This too, is a good way to provide more content for your readers.
Some aggregators even have the ability to display podcasts and videos as well.
Blog platforms often have widgets or plugins that can be installed on your site. WordPress themes are a good example. First you will need to configure your RSS feed to give a look and feel that suits your blog. Then enter the URLs of the feeds you want to keep track of.
Types of Aggregators
Web Based: If you don’t have a blog, or if you don’t want updates to come in through your email service, this might be for you. Some web based programs like Google Reader and others can update your RSS feeds using your browser.
Browsers frequently come with plugins or add-ons for RSS news Feeds. Firefox and Mozilla have them as do Internet Explorer 7, Chrome and Safari.
Widgets: Many blogging platforms have widgets and plugins to install and enable for your site where you can read the latest from your favorite sites.
Email Based: Programs like Newsgator works with Outlook, sending the latest news via email. It combines RSS feeds with an email client.
Your needs will determine the kind of RSS feed reader that is best for you. Many RSS feed readers are free; like those that come with browsers, while others may incur a fee. Some feeds include features that enhance its functionality allowing for archiving and organizing.
Many feed let you enter keywords so that the feeds that come through are more specific. This information helps you get more targeted updates and also lets you know what keywords are being used that might relate to your niche.
If you have a number of websites or blogs that you visit often to see if anything has been updated or added, you can save time by using a feed reader. Simply add the URL of the feeds you like and let the aggregator do the rest of the work for you.
