Do you have a few favorite websites that you find yourself returning to on a regular basis to check for new content, like news sites or a favorite blog or sites featuring local events?  Did you know you can set up a news/blog aggregator (commonly referred to as a “Feed Reader”) that will gather all new posts to your favorite sites in one spot for easy reading?  You could even receive notification by email when your favorite site has a new post.

For our “How To” this month, we are giving you step by step instructions for subscribing to RSS feeds using the feed readers at NewsGator.com.

NewsGator Desktop Feed Reader

(Other popular readers include:  Google Reader, Bloglines, NetVibes, My Yahoo! and many others.)

The thing we love about NewsGator is that they offer a series of free readers that you can view online, on your desktop, from Outlook, or on a mobile device.  All their products sync together seamlessly so if you read a blog post on your mobile device, the post will be marked as read on your desktop application and online as well.

Follow these easy instructions to set up your NewsGator Feed Reader(s)!

For an Online Feed Reader:

1. Go to www.newsgator.com/individuals
2. Scroll down and click “Try Now” under NewsGator Online
3. Click “Create free account!” and set up an account

To Add Feeds:

1. Copy the RSS link from the blog you want to follow.
   1. Right click on the Blog’s RSS button (should look like this: .
   2. hose “Copy Shortcut” or “Copy Link Location.”
2. On your Newsgator.com page click Add Feeds.
3. Paste the URL of the feed into the field.
4. Click “Add Feeds.”

For a Desktop Feed Reader That Syncs with Your NewsGator Online Account:

For PC’s

1. Go to www.newsgator.com/individuals
2. Click “Free Download” under FeedDemon for Windows
3. Follow Installation Wizard
4. When prompted for a username and password choose “Existing Account” and enter login information used for NewsGator.

For Mac’s

1. Go to www.newsgator.com/individuals
2. Click “Free Download” under NetNewsWire for Mac
3. Open the application
4. Under Preferences go to “Syncing”
5. Click “Create Account, or Login”
6. Click “Existing Account” and enter Username and Password used for NewsGator account.
7. Click “Continue”
8. Enter your email address and click “Finish”
9. Close Preferences
10. Click Refresh All and it should pull in any feeds on your NewsGator.com account.

iPhone and Mobile applications are also available at the same site: www.newsgator.com/individuals.

iPhone RSS Feed Reader

Get Email Alerts of Blog Activity
If you’re like me, you might like notification when new postings are up on your favorite blog.  Some blogs, like ours, allow you to sign up to receive email alerts through the Blog’s RSS options.  If you find a blog does not have this service but you’d like to set it up, there are several free services out there that will send you email, IM or mobile alerts either once a day or as activity occurs.

One service that offers a variety of alert options is Yahoo! Alerts.  To set up alerts using this system, you will need to sign into (or create) your Yahoo account, then:

1. Copy the RSS link from the blog you want to receive alerts about.
   1. Right click on RSS button.
   2. Chose “Copy Shortcut” or “Copy Link Location.”
2. Go to alerts.yahoo.com.
3. Click on “Feed / Blog.”
4. Paste the RSS feed link into the field under “A.”
5. Choose how often you want Alerts delivered:
   1. As they happen.
   2. Once a day, if there are changes.
   3. Choose how you want your Alerts delivered:
      • Email.
      • Yahoo! Messenger.
      • Mobile.

This post was featured in ePiphany, Astek’s Monthly Newsletter | Other ePiphany Articles

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Katie Hawkey Categories: ePiphany Featured Story, General, Podcast, Technology, Web