How do RSS feeds work?

RSS (which stands for “Really Simple Syndication”) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries or news headlines.

An RSS document, which is called a “feed,” “web feed,” or “channel,” contains either a summary of content or full text from a website. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that’s easier than checking them manually.

You will see a link at the top of each of these pages that says “ Sign up for RSS Feeds “.

When you click this link, a few things can happen. In most cases your browser will ask if you want to subscribe to this feed (in the case of Internet Explorer 7+, Safari, Firefox, or Opera). Alternatively, you may be asked to download a file. In this case, an external feed reader is necessary.

There are online options such as:

• Google Reader: http://google.com/reader/
• Feedshow: http://reader.feedshow.com/
• Newsgator: http://www.newsgator.com/

and others, or there are programs such as Outlook.

To add the feed to Outlook, follow these instructions from Microsoft.

If you are also subscribed to other pages on the City of Omaha website, when those pages get changed to the new web site format, you will receive a notification similar to this one, asking that you sign up for the RSS feed of those pages.

If you have any questions, please contact the City of Omaha webmaster.