Why doesn’t the Basecamp RSS feed work with Bloglines or Google Reader or Firefox/Safari RSS?

Basecamp RSS feeds are password protected for your security. You need to use an RSS reader that supports authentication or password protected feeds.

There are lots of feed readers out there that support password protected feeds, but we recommend FeedDemon for the PC and NetNewsWire for the Mac.

Can we see more than 14 days in the Dashboard calendar?

No, the 14 day view is the only one available in the Dashboard. To view more dates, click on the "Milestones" tab at the top of the screen.

Can we see more than 5 projects in the “Latest activity” section?

The “Latest Activity” block shows the last 5 recently updated projects with the last 5 changes in those projects. The “5 and 5” format is fixed. You can’t choose a different amount to display.

What is RSS and how do I use it with Basecamp?

RSS lets you subscribe to specific content feeds and aggregate this information in one place to be read when you’re ready. If you’re curious, you can read more on RSS.

To read an RSS Feed you’ll need newsreader software like NetNewsWire (for the Mac) or FeedDemon (for the PC). Once you have your RSS newsreader software, you can copy the URL/address for one of your Basecamp RSS feeds and paste that URL into the subscription option of your newsreader (note: some news readers, like NetNewsWire, lets you just drag a link directly into the program to add the news feed). You’ll now be subscribed to that RSS feed, and depending on how often you’ve set your newsreader to refresh the feeds, you’ll be kept up to date on your projects without having to log into Basecamp.

Basecamp lets you subscribe to to a project’s RSS feed or your global (all projects) RSS feed. You will then be notified any time someone posts a message, comment, or file, or adds or completes a to-do item or milestone to a project.

To subscribe to a project’s RSS feed, go to the project’s “Overview” tab and click the link that says “Subscribe to your project RSS feed” in the right sidebar.

To subscribe to your global (all projects) RSS feed, go to your Dashboard and click the link that says “Subscribe to your project RSS feed” at the bottom of the page.

How does OpenID work with RSS feeds or third-party products that integrate with Basecamp?

For OpenID users: If you are prompted to enter a username and password by your feed reader or third party product, you'll need to enter a special username/password. First, click on “My info” (a link available on the upper right of your screen within Basecamp). Then go to the OpenID section of the page and click the “Reveal my special username/password” link. Then enter that username/password in your feed reader or other product.

Why isn’t the Dashboard or Overview screen being updated when I make changes?

The What’s Fresh log shows nearly 100% of the changes made to a project, but occasionally a change may not show up in the log (the change still happened, it’s just not showing up on the Dashboard).

Can I delete items from the Dashboard or Overview?

Items on the Dashboard or Overview are generated automatically from recent activity so there’s no way to prevent them from showing up or removing ones that are there. They cycle off when new items are added.

What is the purpose of the To-dos, Milestones, and Time tabs on the Dashboard?

These tabs let you see a list of those respective items across all projects. You can see the items belonging to an individual, a company, or just view all of them.

What are the “Your global feeds” on the Dashboard?

The “Your global feeds” section includes a RSS feed and an iCalendar feed. These feeds allow you to subscribe to all your projects via RSS (what is RSS?) or all the milestones in your projects in iCalendar format (what is iCalendar?) without having to subscribe to each project’s feeds individually.

Why would I want to subscribe to my RSS feed?
RSS is the best way to stay on top of the major activity across all your projects. Whenever a new message or comment is posted, a new to-do added, a milestone completed, or a file uploaded, your RSS feed will be updated. This means you don’t have to keep logging into Basecamp to see if there’s anything new.

Your RSS feed is protected and authenticated by your own unique username and password (the same one you use to log into your account). Your RSS reader will prompt you to enter your username and password to update your feed. You’ll need to use a newsreader that supports RSS authentication. Do not share your RSS feed with anyone — each person in your Basecamp account has their own special RSS feed.

Why would I want to subscribe to my iCalendar feed?
iCalendar is an open standard that allows different calendars to share information. If you use a desktop or web-based calendar that can subscribe to iCalendar feeds, you’ll be able to view your Basecamp milestones alongside all your other calendar items. Here’s a list of iCalendar-compatible calendar programs. Do not share your iCalendar feed with anyone — each person in your Basecamp account has their own special iCalendar feed.

Important security note about web-based RSS newsreaders and calendars
You should not subscribe to your RSS or iCalendar feed with a web-based feedreader or calendar that doesn’t guarantee your feeds are kept private (otherwise other people or search engines may be able to see your data). You should confirm your feed will be kept private with the company that provides your newsreader or calendar service.