Using RSS Personally and Professionally

What is RSS?
Colloquially referred to as Really Simple Syndication.
“ RSS is … used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually.”
RSS. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)

Types of Information RSS Can Bring to You
Clinical Guidelines
Grant Opportunities
Journal Table of Contents
News Headlines
News Search Results
Organizational News & Updates
PubMed Search Results
Web Searches
Web 2.0
Blogs
Blog Search Results
Del.icio.us
Flickr Groups
Wikis
Youtube
more …

RSS Logos
How to tell if there is an RSS feed available.
Image from: http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/news/3088/rss-graphic-under-creative-commons-license

RSS Feed Libraries
RSS4Lib: http://www.rss4lib.com
RSS Compendium: http://allrss.com/rssfeeds.html

RSS Feed Collections
Consumer RSS Feeds on USA.gov: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Libraries/RSS_Library/Consumer.shtml
Council on Federations: Getting Started with RSS: http://www.cof.org/Council/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1723&navItemNumber=1969

RSS Feed Collections: Health / Med / Dent
AAFP: RSS Feeds: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/aboutus/theaafp/about/helpcenter/rss.html
Health RSS Feeds on USA.gov: http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Libraries/RSS_Library/Health.shtml
FDA’s RSS News Feeds: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/rss.html
NIDCR RSS Feeds: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/rss/
NIH Library: RSS Feeds for Science and Medicine: http://nihlibrary.nih.gov/ResearchTools/RSSscimed.htm
RSS4Medics: http://www.rss4medics.com/

RSS Feeds & Collections: Journals
JAMA Current Issue: http://jama.ama-assn.org/rss/current.xml
JAMA & Archives: RSS Feeds: http://pubs.ama-assn.org/misc/rssfeed.dtl
Lancet: RSS: http://www.thelancet.com/online/rss
Nature Webfeeds: http://www.nature.com/webfeeds/index.html
NEJM Online Feeds: http://content.nejm.org/rss/

Examples of RSS Feeds: Publishers: Oxford
European Journal of Public Health

Examples of RSS Feeds: NIH Grants

Examples of RSS Feeds: MMWR

Examples of RSS Feeds: Google Video Search

Examples of RSS Feeds: Pubmed Search

Feed Readers and Aggregators
Free or Fee
Applications
Pro: Special features
Con: Not portable
Web-based
Pro: Portability

Read more / Find more
C|Net: How To: Read RSS Feeds: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10088_7-5143460-1.html
FaganFinder: All About RSS: http://www.faganfinder.com/search/rss.php
Gruber, Frank. The State of Online Feed Readers. TechCrunch. http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/03/30/the-state-of-online-feed-readers/
The Shifted Librarian Wiki: MLA RSS Class: http://theshiftedlibrarian.pbwiki.com/MLARSSClass

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Internet/Clients/WWW/Feed_Readers/

Feed Readers & Aggregators: Google Reader
http://reader.google.com/

Feed Readers & Aggregators: Google Reader
Sign in with the same account you would use for Google Mail.

Feed Readers & Aggregators: Bloglines

Only a Few Feeds?
Try Pageflakes - http://www.pageflakes.com/pfa/11118181

Pageflakes Med/Dent Feeds Demo

RSS Feed Reader: Demo 1
1. Find a feed you want.
2. Find the RSS or XML link for that page or content.
3. Copy the URL or link.
4. Go to your feed reader.
5. Click on the option to Add Feed.
6. Paste in the link.
7. Organize the new feed into your folders or subject structure.

RSS Feed Reader: Demo, More Info
Some pages offer buttons you can just click on to add a feed to your favorite aggregator. This allows you to skip steps 1-6!
Image from: University of Toronto Bookstore: http://events.uoftbookstore.com/?page_id=18

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 1 (Find or Create Feed)
Google News Search

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 2 (Find RSS Link)
Google News Search plus enlargement of RSS link.

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 3 (Copy Link)
Screenshot showing what an RSS feed looks like in an HTML window, including the locator bar from which to copy the link.

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 4 (Go to Reader)
Google Reader: http://reader.google.com/

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 5 (Click on Add Feed)
Click on Add subscription
This expands to give you space to paste the URL.

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 6 (Paste Link)
Paste the URL in the box, then click ADD.

RSS Feed Reader: Demo: Step 7 (Sort Feed)
The feed might look like this

Choose a topic folder or create a new folder.
TIP: When you view a folder, you see the newest items for the topic all integrated together.

When a topic is selected you will see a checkmark appear by it.
Notice you can have a single feed appear in more than one folder or collection.

Other Neat Things to Do With RSS
Environmental scanning and market research:
Market Analysis Using RSS (Jos é Nazario): http://monkey.org/~jose/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:marketanalysisusingrss
Add content to your web site:
Web 2.0 for Personal and Professional Productivity: RSS Feeds: http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/web20/archives/2007/05/rss_feeds.html
Read Gmail, get weather reports, daily cartoons, sports scores …

Next Week: Med / Dent / Science Blogs
Please note - RSS was really made for tracking many blogs quickly.
RSS feed readers and aggregators remain one of the best tools for managing blogs that interest you.

Using RSS Personally & Professionally
Keep juggling!
Patricia Anderson, pfa@umich.edu

http://med.libraryrose.com	141
http://casesblog.blogspot.com	37
http://davidrothman.net	26
http://www.lib.umich.edu	16
http://vtech.canalblog.com	12
https://extranet.uj.edu.pl	4
http://www.afeedisborn.com	4
http://www.slideshare.net	3
http://billrothharom.blogspot.com	3
https://dev.www.lib.umich.edu	1

Using RSS Personally and Professionally

by University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences Library

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