According to Wikipedia, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content including blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts. An RSS document (which is called a "feed" or "web feed" or "channel") contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that can be piped into special programs or filtered displays.

For more information see the excellent Common Craft video, RSS in Plain English.

There are several ways of receiving RSS feeds, but the technology is moving forwards and adapting very quickly. The traditional method is to download a program called a 'news' or 'feed' 'reader' or 'aggregator', an example for Windows being FeedDemon. To subscribe to a new feed you simply enter in the feed address. The easiest way to find out what this is is to click on the RSS icon (see below) which you will find on most web pages that offer a feed.

Once you have set up your subscriptions, the reader will automatically keep you up-to-date with all postings, providing you with headlines or story summaries that link through to the full story on the website.

Having a special news reader program works for many users, but does mean you have to install a new program on your desktop and remember to use it!

Another approach is to subscribe to feeds using a web service such as Google Reader. The process is the same, you just go to this site every time you want to check for new postings. This approach works particularly well if you make the reader your home page.

Alternatively, some newer web browsers, such as Firefox and IE7, offer similar functionality built-in. The browser will detect whether the website you are viewing offers an RSS feed and will then let you create a constantly-updated list of links in your 'bookmarks' menu.

If you want your feeds to be more 'in your face,' another option is to set up your RSS feeds in your email program. Mozilla Thunderbird provides this option, as does Outlook 2007. All new posts are treated as 'unread mail', making it harder for you to ignore the latest postings.

If it's podcasts that your're after, the most common technique is to set up your subscriptions in Apple's iTunes or whatever other media player is recommended for your MP3 device.

Of course RSS is not mandatory. You can read news items and blog postings by browsing to the relevant website in the normal way.

Just so you know, this is the address of the news feed for the eLN:

http://www.elearningnetwork.org/rss.xml

If you already have a way of viewing RSS feeds then why not add this to your subscriptions now? If you're an RSS virgin (and we all were once), then this is your chance to get started.