About RSS | Rainmaker Advertising

About RSS Feed

What is an RSS Feed?

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) refers to a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

RSS feeds can be read using a program called an "RSS reader." The RSS reader checks your subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides an interface to monitor and read the feeds. Although there are others, we prefer the Google Reader because of its easy-to-read format and extensive customization abilities. Thousands of sites have developed feeds and you can view them all, regardless of source, using any feed reader.

How to Add a Subscription to The Splash Blog to Google Reader

First, you’ll need to set up your Google Reader account. If you’re not already a Google client, this simply means you’ll need to sign up for Gmail, Google’s email program. Don’t worry, it’s free!

Signing up for Gmail

Start by going to http://www.google.com/. Select “Gmail” from the menu along the top left of the screen which will take you to Gmail’s login page. If you already have a Gmail account, sign in and then jump to the next section of these instructions. If you’re signing up for a new account, click on the “Create an Account” link. This takes you to a brief form to be completed. Most sections are self-explanatory but here are some notes to help you through:

Some people find it easier to remember their Gmail log-in by using the same email address preface as their primary account (such as MrsSmith@aol.com being MrsSmith@gmail.com).
Use your primary email address (such as the MrsSmith@aol.com one) as the Recovery Email.
If you have a difficult time figuring out the wobbly letters visually, click on the wheelchair icon at the end of the space and the letters will be vocalized for you.

Okay! Now you have a Gmail account. It’s up to you whether or not you choose to use the email account: it’s not necessary to use it, but the login information for your Gmail account is what you will use to sign in to Google services such as Google Reader.

Signing up for Google Reader

So … to set up your Google Reader, return to the http://www.google.com/ screen. This time you’ll be going to the very last item on the menu bar (“more”) and will click on the drop menu arrow. Near the end of this list is “Reader” and you’ll click on that.

A note: if Google didn’t automatically recognize your account after signing up for Gmail, go to the “Sign In” link on the top right-hand menu and sign in with your Gmail login information.

Adding the Subscription

You now have a Google Reader but you don’t have any subscriptions.

So, in a fresh browser window, go to the Rainmaker website (www.RainmakerAdv.com) and move down the screen to the blog area. At the bottom of the blog entry (right after the “Read More” arrow) is a menu which consists of symbols. These symbols represent the most commonly used methods of sharing or receiving info: by email, a Facebook post, a tweet thru Twitter, a LinkedIn post, on a Delicious reader, or through an RSS Feed. Right now we’re only working with the RSS Feed but feel free to come back and play with these other methods of sharing information.

When you click on the orange RSS Feed icon, a new browser window will open. If a new window doesn’t open, check to be sure it’s not being blocked by your pop-up blocker and, if it is, set it to temporarily allow pop-ups. When the new window opens, the name “The Splash Blog” will be in large letters on the upper left, and there will be a list of the most recent “The Splash” blog entries.

On the top right of the screen, right below Rainmaker’s logo, is a button named “Subscribe with Google.” When you click on that button, it will offer you the choice of “Add to Google homepage” or “Add to Google Reader.” Click on the Google Reader choice and you will be taken directly to your Google Reader screen and “The Splash Blog” is now listed on your subscriptions. Google Reader will automatically update with new posts from The Splash Blog.

That’s all there is to it!

Feel free to play with it and see what other feeds you may want to add. News organizations? Hobby sites? If you add the Google Reader to your homepage browser tabs, it’s easy to keep up-to-date on all that information on one easy-to-read screen.

Where else can I get an RSS reader?

There are many kinds of readers, from stand-alone applications to Web-based services, to those built into a Web browser. Some are free, some aren't. If you prefer not to use the Google Reader, some of the more popular RSS readers are available through the Web-based services listed below. Just click on the link and follow the instructions provided to install or configure your reader.