alligoodw

I have the Feather plug-in, but I'm not exactly sure how to use it. If I have this image that I've cut out before me, how do I apply the feather effect?

I'm a newbie but willing to learn. Using the wand tool, I've deleted the surrounding area by cropping it . . . leaving only the element in the photo that I want. However, it is ragged along the edges and looks bad when applied to my web page. What tool would I need to smooth those edges and what steps are taken to accomplish it? Your input, time and knowledge is appreciated. Thank you!