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What are RSS Feeds?

How can I use them?

How do I get a news reader?

Can I use these feeds on my site?

What are RSS Feeds?
RSS feeds allow you to see when websites have added new content. You can get the latest headlines and video in one place, as soon as its published, without having to visit the websites you have taken the feed from.

There is some discussion as to what RSS stands for, but most people plump for 'Really Simple Syndication'. In essence, the feeds themselves are just web pages, designed to be read by computers rather than people.

How do I start using feeds?
In general, the first thing you need is something called a news reader. This is a piece of software that checks the feeds and lets you read any new articles that have been added. There are many different versions, some of which are accessed using a browser, and some of which are downloadable applications.

Browser-based news readers let you catch up with your RSS feed subscriptions from any computer, whereas downloadable applications let you store them on your main computer, in the same way that you either download your e-mail using Outlook, or keep it on a web-based service like Hotmail.

Once you have chosen a news reader, all you have to do is to decide what content you want it to receive. For example, if you would like the latest ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service News Highlights, simply visit the News section and you will notice an orange button on the left hand side.

How do I get an RSS reader?

RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator".

The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.

There is a range of different news readers available and new versions are appearing all the time.

Different news readers work on different operating systems, so you will need to choose one that will work with your computer.

Can I use these feeds on my site?
If you run your own website, you can display the latest headlines from other websites on your own site using RSS.

We encourage the use of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News feeds as part of a website, however, we do require that the proper format and attribution is used when ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News content appears. The attribution text should read "³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News" or "bbc.co.uk/news" as appropriate. You may not use any ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ logo or other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ trademark.

We reserve the right to prevent the distribution of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News content and the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ does not accept any liability for its feeds. Please see the Terms and Conditions for full details.

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