Cowles Library Drake University

What is an RSS feed?

RSS helps you stay up-to-date on new information posted to your favorite web sites by allowing you to subscribe to RSS "news feeds." In doing so, you create something like a constantly-updated personal newspaper or magazine. The important information you check for online can be displayed in one place rather than on many different web sites with RSS.

How do I use them?

In order to subscribe to an RSS feed, you need to use an RSS reader (sometimes called an aggregator). An RSS reader can be either a web site that you log into or a program that you download . The reader constantly checks your feeds for updates and shows you all the new items that have been posted.

Where do I get an RSS Reader?

There are many free options to choose from. Online RSS readers are the most popular because they let you check your feeds from any Internet-connected computer. Popular ones include Bloglines and Google Reader. For more options, Techcrunch has a great article comparing nine competitors.

How do I find and subscribe to RSS feeds?

Look for icons like these:

If that seems a bit confusing, you are probably right. There is no agreed-upon name for RSS feeds. In fact, people can't even agree what RSS stands for! Just look for words like RSS, XML, Feed, or Atom on your favorite web sites. Then, copy and paste the address (URL) of the feed into your feed reader.