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News feeds allow you to be alerted when web sites have added new content. In essence the feeds are just web pages designed to be read by a computer rather than by people. News feeds are known as RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) and it is a convenient way to keep track of the latest additions to the Archives of Ontario website. This feed is available on the English and French home page.
RSS feeds are written in xml (Extensible Markup Language) format and require software designed to interpret the content. The URL of the xml file is passed to software that interprets and displays the information in a readable format.
There are several ways you can access this feed and have the information displayed in a readable format:
- Through a live bookmark
This method requires a browser that automatically checks for feeds and supports live bookmarks. The current versions of most browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari) support live bookmarks.
Clicking on the RSS feed icon  that appears in the browser’s window, when there is a feed available, will often add RSS feed to the bookmark list. See the help menu of the individual browsers to learn how to access a RSS feed.
- Through a web service that supports RSS feeds
These services are generally free and are provided by most of the major search engines. Once an account has been set up, there often is access to a RSS reader. See the service’s help section for setting up and using their RSS reader.
- Through RSS news reader software
There is a variety of software on the Internet for reading RSS feeds and new versions are appearing all the time. This software is installed on the local machine. See the software’s help section for setting up and viewing a RSS feed so that it will work with your particular browser.
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