RSS and Other Notification Services
These pages are an introduction to various ways of setting up alerts which will keep you up-to-date on topics of interest to you. The links in the left sidebar describe how to set up alerts in several different research database systems.
The Question-and-Answer section below provides a general introduction to RSS, the most common type of notification service.
What in the world is RSS?
- RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a web technology that allows you to subscribe and receive content updates from many of your favorite websites and blogs.
- Why would I want to use it?
- RSS allows you to be notified when new content appears on a website, blog, or news page. Basically, this means that you can get new content as it is posted to a site without actually having to visit the site. In other words, it is an easy way to manage, customize, and receive information that interests you and it can also save you a great deal of time.
- What sites have RSS feeds?
- RSS is gaining in popularity. CNN, ESPN, Business Week (and many other magazines), and the Ohio University Libraries Newsblog all have RSS feeds.
- How do I know if my favorite sites have an RSS Feed?
- Look for the following:
- An icon that looks like this:
 or 
- A collection of links like this:
- A link, usually on the side or the bottom of the page that says “Syndicate this Site” or “Subscribe with RSS”
- Or any other icon, text, or button that mentions “subscribe”, “RSS”, or “syndicate”
- Great, how do I get Started?
- First you will need to get an RSS reader, which will allow you to receive RSS feeds from web sites. There are several options available. If you are just getting started, Bloglines is a great option for those new to RSS. It is a free, web-based RSS reader, so you can read your RSS feeds from any computer with an Internet connection.
- If you prefer a desktop reader, there are several different options. A few of them are:
- I have my reader, so how can I find other interesting RSS feeds?
- There are several search engines and directories for RSS feeds. Here are a few:
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