What is an RSS Feed?

In its simplest definition, an RSS Feed is a way to be automatically notified if something changes on our site. Things changing could be site announcements, your favorite author updating, or your own stories receiving a new review. By signing up with our RSS Feed service, you will be notified when such changes happen.

Do you have a Google Home Page? Do you use an online news reader service like Google Reader or Bloglines? Do you use news software such as  RSS Bandit? Do you have an email client or other software which supports RSS news feeds?

Welcome to HPFF's feed service. If you answered yes to any of the above questions then you are one of the many users who can use this fantastic service. The HPFF feed service is designed to give you instant notification when your favorite stories are updated, when your favorite authors update, when you recieve new reviews or when there is new news available from HPFF.

Using RSS Feeds is super simple. While we haven't written tutorials for every piece of software or individual service/site, a few of the bigger named services are outlined below. For more information on how to use it within your own client, view their help documentation.

The Basics
There are several feeds offered by HPFF as of February 8^th, 2007. While all feeds work fundamentally the same, and their function is the purpose of this article, following is a brief overview of the types of feeds we offer. [Note: At the bottom of all Feed Service pages, you will find a series of links that list other feed service pages. You can find links to all feeds HPFF offers through these links.]

From the Author Page:
From any author's author page, you may subscribe to their updates, any updates on their favorite stories or any updates posted by their favorite authors.

From the Story Page:
You may subscribe to any updates the author makes to that story (and that story alone.)

From the Your Account Page:
You may subscribe to updates on your Favorite Stories or to updates from your Favorite Authors. You can also subscribe to New Reviews posted on your stories.

On any number of these pages you will find brand new little orange buttons that read "Feed" Clicking those buttons will direct you to a page listing all of the feeds you can find therein as well as a list of subscription options. Depending on your client, you will need to determine which feed you want to subscribe to (i.e., do you want updates on your favorite authors or would you like updates on your favorite stories instead) and, from there, follow the "usual procedure" for subscribing to a feed. In case you're unfamiliar with RSS, instructions for a few clients follow below.

Clicking that orange button will direct you to another page listing all of the feeds for that author. Depending on what you would like to track their stories as a whole or simply a single story choose the appropriate option for you and click the shiny button that corresponds to your client. (If you're lost on what "your client" is, keep reading.)
 

The Clients
There are an inordinate amount of options for RSS clients out there Some are built into software you already use while others need to be downloaded and installed and still more are completely web based.

Internet Explorer 7.0's Feed Reader
When Microsoft released IE7, they include a built in function to sniff out and track RSS feeds. To use it, simply click the RSS button for the appropriate option and a new page will load. If you're using the sample author that I used, you'll find a large yellow box at the top of the page. Within it, there is a link that reads "Subscribe to this Feed." Clicking it prompts a popup box asking you to categorize this feed into a folder and give it a name. You can adjust these details as you like but, for the most part, it's easier to just to leave them as they are. From there, click "Subscribe."

In the future, when you want to view your updated feeds, just click the yellow star (on the lefthand side of the toolbar, by default) and click the "Feeds' button.

Google Feed Services
If you would like to use a Google feed service either Google Homepages or Google Reader click the "Add To Google" button under the option of your choice. From there, you will be prompted to choose which method you prefer.

For Google Homepages, if you already have a Google Homepage and a Google Account, the feed will be added automatically and updates will appear on the page when you load it. If you don't, you will need to register and follow their instructions for setting up the page.

Choosing Google Reader will direct you either to a sign on screen (if you have Google Reader) or, if you're already logged in, to your Reader. 

For Other Software Options
If you use a different piece of software, please view the help documentation.