RSS Feeds

You've probably seen the links all over the web for Syndicate this Site, or the orange and white RSS buttons. But what does it mean? Using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows readers of blogs and other sites to subscribe to content.

An RSS reader is needed to manage and read the content from the subscribed sites. RSS readers link to a special URL that allows the reader to know when content has been updated. These links are also referred to as 'feeds.'

RSS readers can be web based, such as Bloglines, or installed on your computer. Yahoo! provides a list of popluar RSS readers. Once you have subscribed to an RSS feed, the new content will be posted in your RSS reader the moment it is available.

There are several types of RSS feeds that will help you keep up on current research in your field including journal alerts, saved search alerts and Google search updates. Some RSS readers allow you to manage email and RSS alerts in one place.

For further assistance, please contact a librarian at kresge_library@umich.edu.