RSS and Atom feeds

en français 

 RSS (for Really Simple Syndication) is a tool that allows you to stay informed of what's new on a website, without having to visit it. 

 It's a format that indicates what has changed or been added, clearly and automatically. Atom works in the same way, with a few technical differences. These formats are mainly used to easily track updates to blogs, news sites or podcasts. 

 How do I use an RSS/Atom feed ? 

 To read and follow an RSS/Atom feed, you need a feed reader , also known as an aggregator . The following are just a few of the tools available : 

 on the computer or mobile Feedly ,  Inoreader or The Old Reader   

 Browser extensions: RSS subscription extension by Google for Chrome 

 How do I subscribe to a feed ? 

 Find the URL of the RSS/Atom feed : on a site, look for an orange RSS icon or a link with the word “RSS” or “Atom”. The URL often ends with .xml, /feed, /rss, etc. Example : https://wp.unil.ch/newsci/feed   

 Add the feed to your reader : copy and paste the URL into your application/feed reader 

 You'll then see the list of new articles automatically updated 

 Advantages of RSS/Atom feeds : 

 They enable you to centralize information from several sites in one place 

 They are generally free of advertising or tracking (depending on the reader used) 

 In some cases, they can be a simple replacement for a newsletter, and the person who visits a site and subscribes to its RSS/Atom feed does not need to provide their email address or personal details in order to do so. 

 They are very practical for journalists, researchers and anyone interested in monitoring information or technology in a wide range of fields.