A common question for many newbies joining the blogosphere is what is RSS? It stands for Really Simple Syndication.  Simplest answer - it's a way to subscribe or choose the content, blogs, podcasts, news feeds you want to have access to, when you want it.  From Wikipedia, "RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually."

Blogs, podcasts and some websites that update their content frequently will have an RSS feed on their site.

This is the common symbol for RSS.  You may also see a button that says "RSS feeds" or "Feed Readers".   There are numerous "Feed Readers" - free websites where you can store and access all your favorite feeds to the blogs and other sites you want to read. 

Step 1:  Choose the Feed Reader you want to use.  My favorites:  Google Reader and Microsoft IE 7 Feeds feature. 

How to use the IE 7 Feed Reader

TIP:  For the Internet Explorer 7 browser - you'll notice the RSS button (located on the toolbar that has favorites and the tabs for the websites you have opened) turns orange if it detects a feed on the page.  Just simply click on the RSS button and it will take you to a page that has  "subscribe to this feed" link.

Now click on "Subscribe to this feed" and then "subscribe.

The image below illustrates where your feeds are stored in the Internet Explorer browser - right next to your favorites.  Just click on the "Feeds" tab to view your feeds.  Sites with new content will be in bold.

Step 2 (For all other Feed Readers):  When you want to subscribe to the blog or site you like - just click on the RSS button on the blog or website and add it to your reader. 

Here is a graphic displaying  many popular feed readers or "aggregators":

Next in the series: Top 15 Tips for Blogging