New Technology Available to Share News and Information: Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds

Click here to view our new multiple RSS news feed on the right navigation of the homepage!

We recently created and uploaded this free technology to our site.  This is a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) multiple feed, created on SpringWidget.  This technology allows us to share multiple news stories in one compact, free, easy-to-use tool.  We customized our RSS feed to include 8 individual news feeds.  This is interesting technology, because you are able to customize RSS feeds to meet your organizational needs.  

There are literally thousands of free RSS feeds, with various news topics, on the internet.  Our multiple feed includes: Larry Schweiger's NWF View, Global Warming News, Target Global Warming, National Wildlife Magazine, NWF Green Hour, Our Public Lands, Wildlife Promise, and Campus Ecology.  

Our multiple feed is available to you, for free.  You can customize our multiple feed, add/delete news feeds, or create your own feed. 
Click here for NWF's single news feeds.   

This can be a confusing topic and difficult for a layperson to launch.  Go to this website: RSS Specifications.com for information on the purpose of RSS and how to get this tool for your website.

Where can I find good RSS feeds that match our interests?

There are literally thousands of free RSS feeds available on the internet.  Try searching websites you already frequent and see if they have an RSS feed you haven’t noticed before.  Below are some examples of RSS feeds that we already use on this site or other suggestions that might match your organization’s interest.

• NWF Newsroom
• National Wildlife Magazine
• GreenHour Blog
• GreenHour Discovery Journal & Activities
• Target Global Warming - a site for hunters and anglers wanting to make a difference in confronting global warming
• Season’s End (website) - the nation's leading hunting and angling organizations address the impacts of global warming on fish and wildlife and what can be done to address these changes
• Action Alerts feed
• Columnists Comment feed
• Our Public Lands - "a place for hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts to get information about the public lands where they enjoy their favorite activities"
• New York Times (environment)
• National Geographic

What is an RSS feed? 

RSS is a channel by which your website receives feeds of frequently updated content like blogs, news articles, etc.  For an example, see the RSS feed on the right side of the Affiliate Partnership Center homepage.   If you scroll to the bottom, you’ll notice several articles with sources like The New York Times, GreenHour, National Wildlife Magazine and more.  These are all articles that appear via RSS feeds.

How does it work?

You must have a RSS feed reader or “aggregator”.  This can be in the form of software or a web application – often it is included in website software, such as packages from Orchid Suites.  Note: the Affiliate Partnership Center has RSS feeds on the News page as well as an RSS link that could feed content to other websites.

You may have noticed that websites sometimes have a small orange box with the letters “RSS” inside.  If you click on this button, a new webpage will open up and often the content looks distorted – like lines of code.  But if you look at the address bar in your browser where the URL is, you’ll see the RSS link that you can copy and then paste into your RSS reader.  Your website will now receive a feed of the media content from that site and the best thing is it updates itself!  You’ll have fresh, new articles without lifting a finger.

How do I get a RSS reader?

If your website does not already have an RSS reader application, there are a wide variety of options for sale or free download on the web.  All of them may be a little different and come from a different source, so it’s up to you which one you choose.  Try an internet search for reviews or recommendations or find sources online that sell or distribute RSS readers.  Or, use our feed and customize it to fit your needs!  It's free and fun.

If you have any questions about our multiple news feed, contact childsd@nwf.org.