The News Feed is a customizable feature available on the Members Home page when users log in to the HorizonWebRef.com platform through a desktop or laptop browser. This feature provides a convenient way for users to view external news content from sources of their choice.
⚠️ Note: This feature is deprecated and will be removed in future versions of the software. It has already been removed from our mobile apps, and we no longer recommend relying on it as part of your regular workflow.
What Is the News Feed?
The News Feed is a user-specific preference that allows you to display external news headlines on your Members Home page. The content is pulled from an external service known as an RSS Feed, based on a URL that you (the user) provide in your personal profile settings.
💡 The News Feed is not managed by your officiating organization and cannot be globally controlled. It is entirely up to each individual user whether or not they want to enable or customize the News Feed section.
What Is an RSS Feed?
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a web format used by websites and blogs to publish frequently updated information such as news headlines, articles, or podcasts. Each RSS Feed is essentially a live URL that your software can read and display summaries or headlines from.
When you provide an RSS Feed URL in your profile, our system will read that feed and display recent news items on your home page. These items are updated automatically based on what the external provider publishes to the feed.
Important Notes About RSS Feeds
We do not create or manage the content displayed in the News Feed. All content is delivered directly from the external RSS Feed provider you choose.
The system does not follow redirects. If the feed provider changes the URL, the News Feed will stop working, and you must manually update the RSS Feed URL in your profile.
Not all RSS Feeds are guaranteed to work. Some feeds may be incompatible or may not return any visible headlines.
How to Customize or Change Your News Feed
If you want to enable or update your News Feed:
Log in to your user account from a desktop or laptop browser.
Navigate to your Personal Profile.
Click on the Preferences tab.
In the News Feed / RSS Feed URL field, do one of the following:
Choose a popular RSS Feed from the dropdown menu (e.g., CNN, ESPN, Reuters).
Or enter your own custom RSS Feed URL.
Click Save Profile at the bottom of the page.
Once saved, your chosen News Feed will appear on your Members Home page.
How to Disable the News Feed
If you no longer wish to see a News Feed:
Go to your Personal Profile > Preferences tab.
Delete the RSS Feed URL from the field.
Click Save Profile.
With no URL provided, the News Feed section will be hidden completely from your Members Home page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn’t my News Feed displaying anything?
If your News Feed is blank:
The RSS Feed URL may be incorrect or no longer supported.
The feed may have changed or been redirected (our system does not follow redirects).
The content may be temporarily unavailable from the provider.
Try updating the RSS Feed URL or choosing a different feed.
Can I use any RSS Feed?
Most standard RSS feeds will work, but we cannot guarantee compatibility with every feed. Feeds must be publicly accessible and provide content in standard RSS or Atom format.
Summary
The News Feed feature allows you to display customized news headlines on your home page using an RSS Feed URL of your choosing. While this feature is optional and deprecated, it can still be used if configured correctly. Content is not generated or curated by Horizon, so any updates or changes must be made by you, the user, within your profile settings.
If you no longer want to use this feature, you can simply delete the feed URL from your profile, and the section will disappear.
For help locating an RSS Feed, many news websites provide them — look for a link that says “RSS” at the bottom of their respective homepages.