RSS and Podcasts
What is RSS?
- RSS is Really Simple Syndication and acts like an alerting service.
- An easy way to stay informed of new developments and news on your favorite websites, blogs and organizations!
- Libraries - announce new titles, subject guides, search results
- Schools - cancellations, homework assignments, special events
- Airlines - cancellations, delays
- Home listings - realtors updating with new listings
- Some websites use RSS, some use Atom. The underlying principle is the same.
- RSS feeds are text based.
What are Podcasts?
- Podcasts are audio or audio/video files.
- Podcasts use RSS feeds to alert a user that a new podcast is available.
- MP3 is the format for podcasts.
- Podcasts may be listened to on a computer or a MP3 player.
- iPods use iTunes as a "podcatcher" for MP3 files.
- Podcasts can be downloaded to any MP3 player.
How do I use RSS?
- Many people use web-based RSS feed readers, also called aggregators, to subscribe to and read RSS or Atom feeds (updates). A subscription to a feed will ensure the feed appears automatically in your feed reader. Two popular web-based readers are Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader) and Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com).
- Listings of RSS readers are available at
- Some browsers permit you to subscribe to RSS feeds. Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 are three that do.
(Please note: UMKC University Libraries does not provide technical support for nor recommend one RSS reader over the other.)
What do I need?
- A feed reader (or aggregator)
- The URL address of the feed
How do I get the RSS feed into my reader?
- The process varies depending on the reader you use
- Begin in your feed reader and "add" the feed url by clicking on the icon or cutting and pasting the url (Copy Shortcut) into your reader.
Where do I get RSS feeds?
Most of the major news sites, cultural sites, education sites and recreational sites offer RSS feeds. Yahoo News, CNN, NPR, to name a few, all provide a variety of feeds on various topics. Look for icons like these:
