RSS feeds (PAMS reference)

From WolfWikis

RSS feeds allow you to "subscribe" to blogs and websites, reading them at one place, rather than by visiting each site individually. RSS feed readers such as Bloglines or Google Reader are typically used for this task.

For a quick introduction, watch the following video: RSS in Plain English.

Are RSS feeds for me?

Do you read more than three or four websites on a regular basis? Do you return to some of these sites repeatedly to check for updates? Using RSS is going to make your browsing life easier. News, sports, politics, hobbies, personal blogs, or nearly any site with regular updates probably has an RSS feed. Once you're started, it's really easy to add more subscriptions.

Getting Started

1. Pick a feed reader. Google Reader or Bloglines are popular and easy to use. (For a comparison, try here. I personally like Bloglines but Google Reader is a more generally-liked option for people using gmail already.) Create an account if necessary.
2. Look for an RSS feed icon on any page you regularly visit. They come in a few different forms, but generally look like one of these:

If you see the icon, a feed is present.

3. Subscribe to the feed via your feed reader. Use the "Add" link in Bloglines or the "Add subscription" link in Google Reader. The feed reader will now track all updates that come from the site.

Example

Let's subscribe to the Physical Sciences and Engineering News blog created by the NCSU Libraries. (If you're reading a PAMS reference page, this is a good one for you! If not, follow the example anyway for practice, and then you can delete it later! Or don't!)

Bloglines

1. Go to the blog, located at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/news/pes
2. Click the orange RSS button near the top of the page. This takes you to the feed version of the page, with a slightly different URL.
3. Copy the URL.
4. Go to Bloglines, and click the Add link in your feeds.
5. Paste the URL in the box and click the Subscribe button.
6. Change any options you want (such as folder location) and click the Subscribe button. Done!

Optional: check the Easy subscribe option for one-click subscribing. Recommended!

Google Reader

1. Go to the blog, located at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/news/pes
2. Click the orange RSS button near the top of the page. This takes you to the feed version of the page, with a slightly different URL.
3. Copy the URL.
4. Go to Google Reader, and click the Add Subscription link in your feeds.
5. Paste the URL in the box and click the Subscribe button. Done!

Useful RSS feeds

After you're on board with RSS feeds, you'll start to realize how many ways they can streamline your online experience. Below are a few examples.

1. We have a bunch of RSS feeds at the Libraries.

Check here to see them. The catalog feeds are particularly slick.

2. RSS fees at the arXiv.

All of the subject areas in the arXiv have RSS feeds. More information here.

3. New journal article feeds.

One notable example is the American Chemical Society. All ACS journals have an associated RSS feed so you can track new articles. See a list of ACS titles. Many other publishers offer the same. Check publisher websites or use the Libraries' MyAlerts service.

4. Add feeds to that little add along the top of your inbox in Gmail.

Change these feeds by the steps outlined here.