michigan informatics

Using RSS Feeds to Stay Informed

RSS, also known as Really Simple Syndication, is an xml format for sharing and distributing syndicated web content. Using RSS feeds is a popular and efficient way for tracking new web content including updates for your favorite web sites, blogs, and podcasts. Instead of visiting multiple web sites to check for new information, you can set up subscriptions to your favorite RSS feeds using a RSS reader/aggregator. The RSS reader/aggregator will regularly check and download any new content for you. Instead of having all this information sent to your e-mail account, you can access the information with the reader/aggregator at your convenience. The reader/aggregator could be: desktop software (RSS bandit, NetNewsWire, etc.), a web based application (Bloglines), or a web browser with a built-in reader (Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc.).

Some common ways RSS feeds could help you stay informed:

• Provide the latest news from web sites with news updates
• Track new postings on your favorite web sites and blogs
• Receive table of contents for the latest issue of your favorite journals
• Automatically retrieve new citations for your PubMed literature searches

There is currently no standard method for finding out if your favorite web site has a RSS feed. Different web resources will use different icons, links, and terminology to indicate that a RSS feed is available. You should look for an icon (typically orange or blue) or link that says “RSS,” “RSS feed,” “feed,” “atom,” “syndicated,” “web feeds” or “xml.” Once you have selected the feed, you should refer to the instructions for your RSS reader/aggregator for setting up your RSS feed subscriptions.