What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" -- it's a way to keep up-to-date with news and headlines on a website. One of the main reasons why it is useful is that you do not have to go to the site in order to see if there is anything new, your newsreader will tell you if there are any new items on the site.

How do I use it?

You need a newsreader. This is built-in for Safari and easily supported on Firefox, but not Internet Explorer. Check Google or Download.com to get one (there are many free ones). Once you have your newsreader you need to subscribe to a "feed" to get the headlines or new information from the site. These are typically split into topics (eg you might want to know what's happening at the Gladstone club, but not at Carleton). So you may see many icons around. Just click them to subscribe to that feed. If you're using Firefox I suggest that you use Sage to extend the program to better include RSS feeds (The in-built "Live Bookmarks" are limited). Once installed, just enable Sage (Tools->Sage) and then bookmark the feeds you want in "Sage Feeds" (right-click the feed and do "Bookmark this link..."). There are many Jitsu Ottawa feeds available depending on what you are interested in. Some of them are visible in the blocks to the side.