Graduate Workshop 2011: Find Information while you Sleep: RSS How-To

(The instructions on this page are general instructions on subscribing to RSS feeds. If you are trying to subscribe to a specific database, go here. )

Method One:

• Look for the RSS button. These are the three most common icons, and they will probably be somewhere on the website.

• There are other RSS feed buttons that do the same thing but look different. If you use a feed reader (e.g. Feedreader, Bloglines), you can also look for a button with the name of your reader on it. Examples:

• Click the button you want. Then click "add to reader" if prompted.

Method Two:

• Open your reader. (Choose one here.)
• Look for an "add feed" button in your reader. Some examples:

Google Reader
Bloglines
Feedreader

• There are two ways to add the feed to your reader:
• One:
• Right click on the RSS feed link and copy the URL (Firefox- "copy link location; IE- "copy shortcut"). Paste the URL into your reader. Also, if you ever get sent to a page with computer coding, you can copy the URL of that page into your reader.

• Two:
• For some readers, you can use the "add feed" box to search for what you want to add.

When reading your RSS feed, the links might lead you to places asking you to log in or pay for access. If this happens, go here and follow the instructions.

Ashley Nelson
(573) 882-1670
nelsonab@missouri.edu

Ellis Library Reference
(573) 882-4581
Ask a Librarian                   

RSS feeds allow you to check one place for all your updates and alerts. 

This means you don’t have to check different websites and databases. All the new information you are interested in will be sent directly to you. All the information from the different sites will be stored in one place where you can delete, save, and organize it. RSS feeds are usually anonymous, but you will need to use a feed reader.

To see a video (3:43) about RSS, go here. (The video is transcribed as well.)