aboutfeeds.com

Once your newsreader app is installed and you've subscribed to your first feed, the next step is to add more feeds from sites you already read. About Feeds notes that a single subscription may not feel like much of a time-saver, but once you're subscribed to 10 or 20 sites, the newsreader becomes your regular place for news and the latest content. The guide's "What next?" step is simply to find more to read and browse for additional feeds.

Find feeds on sites you already visit

Most feeds live on news sites and blogs. Look for one of these signals on a site you read regularly:

• A link near the bottom of the page labeled "RSS"
• An orange feed icon similar to the standard RSS symbol
• A "Subscribe" or "Feed" link, often in the footer or sidebar

When you see a feed link on a site, that means you can subscribe to it. Start with the handful of news sites and blogs you check most often, since those are the ones where centralized reading pays off fastest.

Subscribe to each new feed

The subscription steps are the same as for your first feed:

1. Get the feed URL. On desktop, right-click the RSS link and choose "Copy Link Address" or similar. On mobile, tap and hold the link until a menu appears, then choose "Copy link" or similar.
2. Open your newsreader app and find the function named something like "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or a "+" icon.
3. Paste the feed URL and confirm.

Repeat this for each site. Your newsreader checks feeds automatically every few hours, so new content appears without you visiting each site.

Use the reader itself to discover more

Your newsreader is also a browsing surface. As you read, note the sites you keep wanting to check and add their feeds. If a source you follow links to another blog or news site, look for that site's feed link and subscribe directly from the same copy-and-paste flow.

Know what you're gaining

About Feeds describes two practical benefits of building up a feed list:

• No algorithm filtering. Unlike Facebook, there's no algorithm deciding to drop content from your feed unless the author pays.
• Spam-proof and reversible. If a feed stops being useful, just unsubscribe.

Pick a reader that fits how you'll grow the list

The guide lists four newsreader apps, in alphabetical order, with these stated limits:

Which one you choose matters less than you might think: newsreaders make it fairly easy to export your subscription list and move to another app later, so pick one whose look you like. If you expect to follow well over 100 sites, the stated free limits are worth checking before you commit.

A reasonable first week

Aim to add a few feeds a day from sites you already read, rather than trying to build a large list at once. After a week or two, your newsreader's inbox should reflect the news you actually want, and you can prune any feed that isn't earning its place.

An RSS feed (also called a "web feed") is a standardized file that a website publishes containing its latest content, formatted so that a newsreader app can read it automatically. You use a feed by pasting its URL into a newsreader app, which then checks that feed every few hours and shows you new items in one place. This suits anyone who reads several news sites or blogs regularly and wants to stop checking each one by hand.

What a feed actually is

A feed is the machine-readable version of a site's recent posts. According to About Feeds, the feed "contains the latest content in a form that your newsreader app understands," and the newsreader "checks the feed automatically, every few hours." Feeds are common on news sites and blogs; you'll often find an "RSS" link or an orange feed icon at the bottom of a page.

Seeing that link or icon means the site offers a feed, which means you can subscribe to it. The content arrives in your newsreader rather than being pushed at you by a platform.

Why subscribe instead of just visiting sites

Subscribing to one site saves little time. The payoff comes at scale: once you follow 10 or 20 sources, the newsreader becomes your regular place for news.

About Feeds highlights two practical differences from social platforms:

• No algorithm filtering. Nothing decides to drop content from your feed unless the author pays — unlike Facebook, per the site's comparison.
• Spam-proof. Items come from sources you chose, and nothing else.

Unsubscribing is just as simple: if you've had enough, remove the feed.

How to start: pick a newsreader

You need a newsreader app before you can subscribe. It works like an email inbox of latest content, or like a social newsfeed drawn from many sources. About Feeds lists four options (alphabetical, as given):

Which one you pick matters little, because newsreaders make it fairly easy to export your subscription list and move to another app later. Choose one whose look you like, then sign up or download it.

Subscribing to your first feed

You need the feed's URL. Go to the site you want to follow and find the RSS link or feed icon, then:

1. Copy the link. On desktop, right-click the link and choose "Copy Link Address" (or similar). On mobile, tap and hold the link until a menu appears, then choose "Copy link."
2. Paste it into your newsreader. Look for a function named something like "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or a "+" icon, and paste the URL there.
3. Read. The latest content now appears in your newsreader.

What to expect afterward

The main task left is finding more to read. Each time you encounter a site with a feed link, repeat the copy-and-paste step. Over time your newsreader replaces scattered site visits with a single, algorithm-free list — and any source you tire of can be removed with one unsubscribe.

Choose a newsreader app based on where you read (phone, desktop, or browser), how many feeds you expect to follow, and whether you want a free tier with a subscription cap. About Feeds lists four starting options — Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire, and The Old Reader — and notes that switching later is fairly easy because most newsreaders let you export your subscription list. That lowers the stakes: pick one that fits your devices and budget now, and move later if it doesn't work out.

What a newsreader actually does

A newsreader (also called a feed reader) works like an email inbox or a social newsfeed. You add the URL of a site's feed once, and the app checks that feed automatically — About Feeds says every few hours — then shows the latest content in a single list. You see new posts from every site you follow in one place, with no algorithm deciding what to hide and no spam, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

This matters for the choice itself: the app is mostly a container. Your subscriptions are the valuable part, and they are portable.

Compare the four options

About Feeds names these apps in alphabetical order and gives the following details:

Use the table as a filter, not a ranking:

• You read mostly on an iPhone or Mac and want no ads or caps: NetNewsWire fits, since it is listed as free with Apple-only platforms.
• You want the highest free subscription limit: Inoreader's 150 is the largest figure in the list.
• You switch between phone and browser, or use Android: Feedly, Inoreader, and The Old Reader all cover web plus Android and iOS.
• You want a web-first experience and don't mind ads: The Old Reader is described as free/ad-supported.

The source does not compare speed, interface quality, or paid plans, so treat those as things to judge yourself after signing up.

Decide in four steps

1. List your devices. If you only use Apple devices, NetNewsWire is viable. If you mix Android and a laptop, choose from the web/Android/iOS group.
2. Estimate your subscriptions. Under 100 feeds, any of the four works. Between 100 and 150, Inoreader is the only listed option whose free tier covers you.
3. Pick one and install it. Download the app or sign up on the website — About Feeds says either path works.
4. Test the switch cost early. Add two or three feeds, then look for an export option in the settings. Confirming export exists now means you can move to another app later without rebuilding your list.

Subscribe to your first feed

Once the app is installed, you need the feed's URL:

1. Go to the site you want to follow and find the RSS link or orange feed icon, often at the bottom of the page.
2. On desktop, right-click the link and choose "Copy Link Address" (or similar). On mobile, tap and hold the link, then choose "Copy link."
3. In your newsreader, find a function labeled something like "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or a "+" icon, and paste the URL.

The expected result: the site's latest posts appear in your newsreader, and new ones arrive automatically. If nothing appears, the usual cause is pasting the site's homepage address instead of the feed link — go back and copy the RSS link itself.

Common sticking points

• "One feed doesn't save me time." About Feeds makes this point directly: the benefit appears once you follow 10 or 20 sites and the reader becomes your regular news source.
• Worrying about picking wrong. Because subscriptions can be exported, the cost of a wrong choice is low. Choose based on the table above and revisit later.
• No feed link on a site. Not every site offers one; the guide notes feeds are most common on news sites and blogs.

About Feeds (aboutfeeds.com) is a short getting-started guide to web feeds, also called RSS feeds. It explains what a feed is, why subscribing is useful, and how to pick a newsreader app and subscribe to a site's feed. It is a plain-language explainer for people who are new to RSS, not a feed reader or a directory of feeds itself.

What the site covers

The guide is organized around four questions:

1. What is a feed? A feed is the latest content from a site, packaged in a form a newsreader app can read. The app checks the feed automatically every few hours. Most sites with feeds are news sites and blogs, and they usually link to them with an "RSS" label or an orange feed icon near the bottom of the page.
2. How do I get a newsreader app? You need a newsreader to subscribe. The site describes the experience as similar to an email inbox or a social newsfeed, and lists four apps in alphabetical order.
3. How do I subscribe? Copy the feed URL from the site, then paste it into a "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or "+" function in your newsreader.
4. What next? Browse for more sites to read.

Why subscribe to feeds

The site makes a few practical arguments for feeds:

• Nothing is filtered out for you. Unlike Facebook, no algorithm drops content from your feed unless the author pays.
• It is spam-proof. Only the content you subscribed to arrives.
• It scales. One subscription may not save much time, but at 10 or 20 the newsreader becomes your regular place for news.
• It is easy to leave. If you have had enough, you just unsubscribe.

Newsreader apps the guide lists

The guide notes that the choice matters little because newsreaders make it fairly easy to export your subscription list and move to another app later. So pick one whose look you like, then sign up or download it.

How to subscribe, step by step

1. Find the feed link. Go to the site you want to follow and look for the RSS link or feed icon.
2. Copy the feed URL. On desktop, right-click the link and choose "Copy Link Address" or similar. On mobile, tap and hold the link until a menu appears, then choose "Copy link."
3. Paste it into your newsreader. Open the app and look for a function named something like "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or a "+" icon, then paste the URL.
4. Verify. The latest content from that site should now appear in your newsreader.

A common snag is copying the site's normal page address instead of the feed link itself; the newsreader needs the feed URL, which is why the guide starts by pointing you to the RSS link or icon.

Who made it

The site includes a "Who made this site?" section, so authorship details are available on the page itself if you want to check who is behind the guide.

When this site is useful — and when it isn't

About Feeds is a good starting point if you have never used RSS and want a five-minute explanation plus a first subscription. It is not a place to search for feeds by topic, and it does not host a reader. If you already know how feeds work and want to discover new sites to follow, you will need to look elsewhere; the guide's own "What next?" step is simply to browse for more to read.

To subscribe to a website's feed, copy the feed URL from that site, then paste it into your newsreader app's "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or "+" function. You need two things first: a newsreader app installed or open in a browser, and the site's RSS link or orange feed icon to copy. Once pasted, the newsreader checks the feed automatically every few hours, so new content appears without you visiting each site.

Before you start: get a newsreader

A feed is the latest content from a site in a format your newsreader app understands. Most feeds live on news sites and blogs, and a site with a feed means you can subscribe to it. If you don't have a reader yet, About Feeds lists four options (in its alphabetical order):

Which one you pick matters little: newsreaders make it fairly easy to export your subscription list and move to another app later, so choose one whose look you like. Sign up or download it, then move on to subscribing.

Step 1: Find and copy the feed URL

Go to the website you want to follow and look for an "RSS" link, often at the bottom of the page, or an orange feed icon. That link is what you need to copy:

• On desktop: right-click the link and choose "Copy Link Address" or similar.
• On mobile: tap and hold the link until a menu appears, then choose "Copy link" or similar.

The expected result is a feed URL on your clipboard. If you can't find a link or icon, the site may not offer a feed — there's nothing to paste, so skip it.

Step 2: Paste it into your newsreader

Open your newsreader and look for a function named something like "Subscribe," "Add Web Feed," or a "+" icon. Paste the feed URL you copied into it and confirm. That's the whole action: the app now knows which feed to check.

Step 3: Verify it worked

Return to the reader's main list or inbox. You should see the site's latest content there, and new items should appear as the site publishes — the reader checks the feed automatically every few hours. If the site doesn't appear, re-copy the link (a partial copy is the usual culprit) and paste it again.

What you get, and when to unsubscribe

With one subscription the time savings are small, but at 10 or 20 the newsreader becomes your regular place for news and updates. Unlike social platforms, no algorithm drops content unless the author pays, and feeds are spam-proof. If a site stops being useful, just unsubscribe from the feed — no account on the site required.

To find more to read, repeat the same three steps on other sites you like.