Following the blog in a feed reader
A feed reader is an app that collects new posts from the sites you follow. Use it to follow the Onflow Ads blog without giving an email address.
A feed needs no account and no email address. Nothing about it differs by plan.
What the blog's feed is​
A feed is a web address that a feed reader app checks by itself to collect new posts. You add the address once; after that, new posts appear in the app.
The blog explains it this way on the page at the feed's address: "A feed reader gathers new posts from the sites you follow in one place. Add this address to yours and each new post arrives there by itself."
The blog does not provide a feed reader. Use any app or service that accepts a feed address.
How to add the blog to a feed reader​
You need a feed reader app already set up on your phone or computer.
- On the blog, scroll to the footer and press RSS feed in the Blog column. You can also open
https://blogs.onflowads.com/rss.xmldirectly. A page titled "Follow the blog in a feed reader" opens. It is an explanation written for people, not the feed itself. - Press Copy the address. The button reads "Link copied" for a moment. You can also tap the address field, which selects the whole address so you can copy it yourself.
- In your feed reader, choose to add a feed and paste the address.
Signed out — the page a browser shows at the feed's address This is the page the first step opens. 1 The feed's address; tap it to select all of it. 2 Copy the address puts it on your clipboard. 3 The line that says what to do with it in your feed reader: choose to add a feed, then paste.
The blog's feed addresses​
The blog has a feed for the whole blog and one for each section. Sections are the blog's own content and can change, so the section address below is an example of the pattern.
| What you follow | Address |
|---|---|
| Every new post on the blog | https://blogs.onflowads.com/rss.xml |
| One section only | The section page's own address with a slash and the ending "rss.xml" added, for example https://blogs.onflowads.com/category/channel-growth/rss.xml |
| Every new post, for apps that ask for the newer feed format | https://blogs.onflowads.com/feed.json |
To get a section's feed, open that section on the blog, copy the address of its page and add a slash and "rss.xml" to the end, as in the example. In a browser, that address opens a page titled "Follow section in a feed reader", with its own Copy the address button.
The third address is a second feed for the whole blog. A browser shows it as a page of plain text. That is normal: it is meant for apps.
There is no other feed address. If your app asks for a different kind of feed, give it the first address in the table.
What the blog's feed carries​
The feed lists the newest posts only. Older posts drop out of the feed as new ones arrive, and stay on the blog.
For each post the feed gives the title, a link to the post, the date, the author, the section, the topics, the summary and the cover picture. When the blog chooses, it also gives the full text; otherwise you open the post from your feed reader to read it.
Your feed reader collects on its own schedule, so a new post can take a while to show there. The blog can also leave a post out of the feed; such a post is still on the blog.
Email or feed reader: which way to follow the blog​
Both ways tell you about new posts. They differ in what you need and what the blog keeps.
| Feed reader | ||
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An email address | A feed reader app |
| Anything to confirm | Yes, a link in a confirmation email | No |
| What arrives | One email per new post, in one language | The newest posts, listed in your app |
| One section only | No | Yes, with that section's feed address |
| How to stop | Unsubscribe in any blog email | Remove the feed in your app |
| Your address is kept by the blog | Yes | No, none is asked for |
The feed is also the way to follow the blog when the subscribe box is not shown. For the email route, see Getting new blog posts by email.
If something goes wrong​
These four cover most feed questions. The rest are on Troubleshooting the blog.
The feed's address opens a web page instead of a feed​
-
Where you see it:
In a browser tab at
https://blogs.onflowads.com/rss.xml, which shows the page "Follow the blog in a feed reader". -
Plans affected:
Every plan, and readers without an account.
-
Why it happens:
Nothing is wrong. A person who opens the address gets an explanation and a Copy the address button. A feed reader app that follows the same address gets the feed.
-
How to fix it:
Press Copy the address, then paste the address where your feed reader lets you add a feed.
The second feed address shows a page of plain text​
-
Where you see it:
In a browser tab at
https://blogs.onflowads.com/feed.json. -
Plans affected:
Every plan, and readers without an account.
-
Why it happens:
Nothing is wrong. That address is only for apps, so there is no page for people to read there.
-
How to fix it:
Give the address to a feed reader that accepts the newer feed format. If yours does not, use
https://blogs.onflowads.com/rss.xmlinstead.
"Not found." when adding a section's feed​
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Where you see it:
In your feed reader when it tries the address, or as a line of plain text if you open the address in a browser.
-
Plans affected:
Every plan, and readers without an account.
-
Why it happens:
The section part of the address is misspelled, or that section has no public post at the moment.
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How to fix it:
- Open the section's page on the blog and copy its address from the address bar.
- Add a slash and "rss.xml" to the end, and give that address to your feed reader.
- If it still fails, follow the whole blog with
https://blogs.onflowads.com/rss.xml.
A new post is not in your feed reader yet​
-
Where you see it:
In your feed reader: a post is on the blog but not in the app's list.
-
Plans affected:
Every plan, and readers without an account.
-
Why it happens:
Feed readers collect on their own schedule, so the app may not have looked since the post was published. Nothing is lost; every post stays on the blog.
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How to fix it:
Refresh the feed in your app, or look again later. To read the post now, open the blog.