After installing the reader program, you can subscribe to thousands of sites. Many sites will post an icon (usually, ) to indicate that they offer a feed, but there is no agreed standard so you may need to search to find the RSS link. The centennialwines.com page page uses the green XML icons as the links. You should right-click on it to subscribe, as explained below.

A subscription is similar to a channel on a tv or radio. Simply bring up your news reader and click on a channel to access the most recent updates. If you click on a link you will be taken directly to the source's web site. This allows you to quickly check for updates on many web sites without having to visit each one separately. You need only visit those web sites that have new information that interests you.

To subscribe to a channel right-click on the icon and select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" to copy the URL of the service. Follow the instructions for your news reader, and then paste this location wherever it asks for the location of the service you want. Your news reader may come pre-subscribed to some channels, but you can always unsubscribe if you don't want them.

Most news readers can periodically poll the RSS feeds for new items to save you the trouble of repeatedly checking for new information. Many readers can also alert you (by displaying a "pop-up" message, playing a sound, etc.) when new information is available so you will know immediately when something new has arrived.