What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing web content. RSS is intended to:

• make it easy for Internet users to subscribe to view web content that changes regularly; and
• make it easy for organizations to syndicate web content that changes regularly, such as news items or announcements

RSS is delivered in an XML format called an RSS feed. RSS feeds can contain summaries, full text and metadata about any web content that is published. To view an RSS feed you need an RSS reader.

Many people use RSS to keep up to date on news headlines, but RSS can also help keep up with research. For example, many e-journals are now offering RSS feeds.

How do I find an RSS feed?

RSS feeds may be labeled by any one of the following icons on a web page.

How do I read an RSS feed?

To read an RSS feed, you will need to use an RSS reader.

RSS Readers

RSS Readers are used to subscribe to and view RSS feeds. Several standalone RSS readers exist; these require installation on your desktop computer. The web browsers Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 provide built-in basic RSS Reader functionality (Firefox calls them 'live bookmarks'). A number of web sites also provide RSS readers. Here are a number of RSS readers to consider:

• Sage - a free RSS extension for Firefox (you need to access the downloadable file using Firefox)
• Google Reader (web-based)
• My Yahoo! (web-based) -- add RSS feeds to your My Yahoo home page by clicking the "add Content" link
• Bloglines (web-based)
• RSS Reader (Windows)
• SharpReader (Windows)
• Awasu (Windows)
• Shrook (Mac OS X)
• Vienna (Mac OS X)
• NewsFire (Mac OS X)

More information on RSS may be found at Wikipedia

Go to Oviatt Library RSS feeds