Help - Using RSS in Akvo RSR

What is RSS?

Really Simple Syndication, better known as RSS, is a great way to share knowledge on the internet. It allows you to quickly sift through lots of news items published by different sources on the internet.

How does it work?

Perhaps RSS is best explained through a simple analogy. RSS is a lot like television. There are TV news channels, TV signals and television sets. In the context of RSS, the television set is the RSS-reader software that reads the signal, the RSS-feed, which you can subscribe to on most modern websites.

Why is RSS so useful?

If you want to know whether new content was posted on a particular website, you have to open a browser window and go to the website. Depending on how important it is for you to stay up-to-date, you may do so several times a day. RSS does that for you. RSS-reader software is just like an email client. If checks for new items on a regular basis. So rather than you going to the website to check whether there is something new waiting for you, the RSS-reader will notify you and list the new item as an unread news item.

So what do I need to do?

All you need to do is get an RSS-reader, usually free software that is easy to install on your computer. Once you have the RSS-reader in place, you can go look for RSS-feeds to subscribe to. By the way, you can always unsubscribe from any feeds you subscribe to. Furthermore, unlike most good TV channels, RSS-feeds are free-of-charge.

Downloading and installing an RSS reader

There are many different RSS reader available for download but we recommend you have a look at Newsgator.com.
If you are using Windows, you might consider using FeedDemon.
If you're on a Mac, you might like NetNewsWire.
Once you have downloaded and installed an RSS reader of your choice, you are ready to subscribe to RSS feeds.

Subscribing to RSS feeds

On the internet, links to RSS feeds are generally labelled with an (RSS) feed icon such as this one . All you need to do is click on the link and your RSS-reader should pop up and ask you to confirm whether you want to subscribe to this particular feed. Once you have accepted, the feed will automatically update itself when the RSS-reader is open. You can subscribe to as many RSS-feeds as you want.

Subscribing to project feeds in Akvo RSR

When you visit a project page in Akvo RSR and scroll down to the Project Updates section, you will find a link entitled "Subscribe via RSS". Notice the RSS icon next to it. With an RSS-reader installed, you can subscribe to that project and receive project updates which will be delivered directly to your RSS-reader.