Just tick each topic you want to follow.  You will then receive an email alert whenever there is new information posted to your topics.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed of the items posted on a website. Visitors who subscribe to RSS feeds receive timely updates from websites. These feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader," "feed reader," or "aggregator."

These readers receive the same information through RSS feeds that those who sign up for email alerts receive via email. They just view the information on a website instead of in an email.