Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an XML-based format for content distribution. Use an RSS reader to scan the "news feed" headlines and click the link if you are interested in reading more. As stories cross the wire, our RSS feeds will update with the new content.

The first thing you need is something called a news reader or a feed reader. This is a piece of software that checks RSS feeds and lets you read any new articles that have been added to them. There are many different versions: some are accessed using a browser, and some are downloadable applications.

Once you have chosen a news reader, all you have to do is to decide what content you want to receive by finding and subscribing to the relevant RSS feeds.
You can subscribe to the feed in various ways:

• by clicking on the orange RSS button on our homepage,
• dragging the URL of the RSS feed into your news reader,
• dragging the button icon into your reader,
• or by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed in your news reader.

Some browsers, including Firefox, Opera and Safari, automatically check RSS feeds for you when you visit a website, and display an icon when they find one. This can make subscribing to RSS feeds much easier.

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. See right for a few popular news readers.