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RSS on UTSA Library News

FAQ

• What is RSS?
• How do I view RSS feeds on my computer?
• Where can I get an RSS newsreader?
• How do I use these feeds?
• Where can I learn more about RSS and newsreaders?

UTSA Library News RSS Feeds

Select feed name to preview available headlines.

Feed Name/Preview		Feed Address	Add to...
General Library News		/News/rss/general-news.xml
Database Alerts		/News/rss/dbase-alerts.xml
Library Alerts		/News/rss/system-alerts.xml

What is RSS?

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an easy way for you to keep up with your favorite news and information. An RSS feed contains links to news stories on UTSA Today. RSS feeds, or subscriptions, enable readers to read the latest news and blogs from many sources at a Web site or by using newsreader software.

A quickly growing number of Web sites offer RSS feeds of their content as a way to make life easier for readers. If you use a newsreader to subscribe to RSS feeds from your favorite Web sites, you can spend 20 minutes reading all your favorite news sources in one place, instead of much more time clicking from site to site.

• If you notice a Web site with a small orange button with text that says XML, RSS or Atom, -- those are links to an RSS or Atom feed. A feed is a constantly updated RSS version of one or more Web pages, to which you can subscribe using newsreader (or news aggregator) software or at a newsreader Web site.
• You can subscribe to RSS feeds at various sites, including UTSA Today, then set the RSS newsreader to send an e-mail when new feeds come in -- or you can periodically check the newsreader Web site. Many sites offer RSS feeds to your personal Yahoo page.
• An example of a Web site with RSS feeds from many news sources is Topix.net. The site allows you to search news sources by topic and ZIP code.

How do I view RSS feeds on my computer?

To use RSS you must have an RSS newsreader that allows you to collect and display RSS feeds. There are several free RSS newsreaders available. Some readers are Web-based while others require you to download a small software program onto your desktop.

Option 1: Web-based newsreader

Because most UTSA computers users do not have the authorization to install software on their computers, Web-based newsreaders are a good solution, because they do not need installing ? you just go to a Web site to view your news subscriptions.

• Two popular free, Web-based newsreader sites are Bloglines.com and Newsgator.com. Because they are Web-based, they will work for any operating system, PC or Macintosh.
• We recommend Bloglines.com, because of its ease-of-use.
• Some Web browsers, such as Firefox, display an orange icon in the bottom right of the window if you're at a site offering RSS feeds. When you click on the icon, the site will be added to the personal toolbar under the URL display window. To check RSS feeds from those sites without leaving your browser, just click on the site name in the toolbar and you will see a list of headlines that are linked to stories.

Option 2: Software-based newsreader

For users off the UTSA campuses who can download software to their computers, there are many software-based newsreaders for Windows and Macintosh operating systems; many are free. See links below for downloadable software.

Where can I get an RSS newsreader?

A wide range of RSS newsreaders is easily downloaded from the Web; many are free. Google and Yahoo! both offer comprehensive lists of RSS readers. Your RSS newsreader determines how often it will retrieve the latest headlines; you can adjust the update frequency in many RSS newsreaders.

Download sample software-based newsreaders at these sites:

• Awasu
• Amphetadesk (Windows, Mac, Linux)
• Google Reader
• NetNewsWire (Mac OS X)
• Pluck
• RSS Reader (Windows .NET)
• SharpReader

How do I use these Feeds?

If you are going to use a software-based newsreader, the first step, is to choose an RSS reader. Each reader has a slightly different way of adding a new feed (also called a "channel"). In most cases, here's how it works:

• Click on the small XML button near the channel you want. You'll see a page displaying XML code.
• From your browser, copy the URL that appears in your Address Bar.
• Paste that URL into the Add New Channel section of the newsreader. You should be all set. The RSS feed will start to display and regularly update the headlines for you.

Where can I learn more about RSS and newsreaders?

• Radio Userland -- extended RSS resources
• Lockergnome -- beginner's tutorial
• RSStocracy
• "News That Comes to You" from Online Journalism Review
• "The Evolution of RSS" from Web Reference
• "What is RSS?" from IBM Developer Works
• "RSS Workshop: A Tutorial" from the Utah state government
• "Working the Web: Newsreaders" from The Guardian