Current awareness: Using RSS Feeds and Alerts

Current AwarenessOctober 21, 2013

Penny SchenkLaw Library ICT Officer

Aims and objectives Learn how to stay up-to-date with

information on websites, blogs, podcasts and legal databases using RSS using alerting services

The old way:

New and improved:

What is an RSS “feed”? An RSS feed is website content put into

a standard XML format. Using a feed is a bit like tuning into a

radio station, or subscribing to a magazine.

It’s easy to visit the associated site if you want more information.

A little background on RSS

What does “RSS” stand for? RSS 2.0 “Really Simple Syndication” RSS 0.91, 1.0 “Rich Site Summary”

What is it? An XML format for “syndicating”

websites

the end user a way to stay up to date without

visiting multiple web sites daily the feed publisher

a convenient way to broadcast information to “subscribers” and encourage visits to website

What RSS feeds offer

Benefits for end users

Less clutter in inbox No spam No subscribe/unsubscribe hassles Easy to keep items you want to save Easy to share items with others You choose when to view information Discreet notification

Disadvantages for end users?

Not everything is available via RSS feed Can find yourself “oversubscribed” Different standards exist – RSS 2.0, Atom 1.0

Ways to read RSS feeds Built-in readers in browsers, email Web-based news readers

Accessible from anywhere Free: Feedly, Bloglines, NetVibes Paid (for full version): NewsBlur

How to get started…

Web-based services• sign up for an account and configure it• find and add feeds that you’re interested in

Web-based services: Bloglines, NetVibes

Finding a feed

Right-click on icon to get link address. In Firefox: Copy link location...

http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/yourtown/oxford/rss/

Add to Bloglines

Click FEED icon to preview and add to page

Add widget to page

Articles appear in chosen tab.Note: the interface for NetVibes and

Bloglines is very similar.

Can add other items, not just feeds

What to look for:

Blogs and Podcasts Blogs – popular way of keeping an online

diary on the Web Most blogs have an associated RSS feed,

so you can subscribe to them easily Podcasts – a special type of RSS feed

where each item has an audio or video file enclosed

Oxford Podcasts on iTunes U

Searching feeds, blogs and podcasts

Justia Blawgsearch - http://blawgsearch.justia.com/

Technorati focuses on searching blogswww.technorati.com

Alerting services

What are they? Keep you update to date by sending to

your e-mail address Pros

No need to use an RSS reader Cons

Can fill up your inbox Sometimes this is the only option

Things to look out for Not always called alerts – look out for

links to “Alerts”, “Updates”, “SDI”, “Save search”

Three main types Tables of contents – send TOCs of

most recent journals / law reports as published

Keyword alerts e.g. Send new materials which match your keywords, authors

Broad subject areas e.g. everything new in IP, human rights etc

Keeping up to date with Journals: Tables of Contents Services

Zetoc Tables of contents for journals received by

the British Library Subscribe by RSS feed or email alert http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/

iLaw Tables of contents for i-Law journals and law

reports (insurance, IP, construction) Subscribe by RSS feed or email alert http://www.i-law.com/ipiportal/Home.do

Most publishers offer TOCS from their web site

Zetoc

Receive TOCS by email

Receive TOCS by RSS feed

Zetoc TOCS by RSS feed

To subscribe click on the RSS icon

In older browsers right click on the RSS logo and choose “copy link”. This copies the URL to your clipboard. Then open your feed reader and choose “New Subscription”. Then choose EDIT / PASTE (or CTRL V) to paste in the URL for the feed.

Zetoc TOCS by email alert

Alert name – use something meaningful as this will appear as the subject of your email

Alerts that I have already set up

Zetoc TOCS by email alert

Find journals by search terms or browsing the alphabetical or subject lists

Zetoc TOCS by email alert

Zetoc TOCS by email alert

“Add” to add journals to the TOC alert

Zetoc TOCS by email alert

E.g. Email alert for Human Rights - Chicago

Keeping up to date with Journals using author/keyword alerts

Index to Legal Periodicals (WilsonWeb) (Anglo-American articles) RSS or Email Alert

Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (Non Anglo-American articles) Lawtel (UK Legal Journals index on Lawtel)

Email or RSS Requires Personal Lawtel username (contact law.library@bodleian.ox.ac.uk) Search in the normal way / choose “Save this search” on results screen

Lexis Library(journals/commentary held on Lexis) Email alert only Search in the normal way and choose alarm clock icon (top right) on results

screen Social Science Citation Index – articles, books, reports etc in Social

Sciences. RSS or email Choose “search history” followed by “Alerts”

vLex

Index to Legal Periodicals

Choose which databases to search

Enter search terms

Choose “Create Alert” (for email alerts) or RSS feed from the results screen

Index to Legal Periodicals

For RSS feeds simply choose frequency and click “Create Alert”.

Click on the link to subscribe (or paste into your feed reader)

Index to Legal

Periodicals RSS feeds

Index to Legal Periodicals RSS feeds

When setting up an email alert it is best to create an account on WilsonWeb (follow instructions on screen)

Set frequency and subject line.

Index to Legal Periodicals Email Alert

Keeping up to date with primary materials

Law Reports: TOC Justis – Weekly Law Reports by RSS feed plus others iLaw – Lloyds Law Reports by RSS feed plus others

Legislation OPSI - RSS feeds for new acts and SIs

(http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/whatsnew.htm)

Keyword alerts/RSS• Lawtel Alerts (UK cases, legislation, bills, command papers)

• Search in the normal way / choose “Save this Search”• Email alert only (RSS coming in Nov)

Lexis Nexis Butterworths (cases and legislation from UK, USA, Australia, Canada)

• Search in the normal way / choose alarm clock icon• Email alert only

Lexis AlertsChoose source and enter search terms as usual

Create email alert from the results screen

Lexis Alerts

Wording will appear in subject line

Lexis Alerts

Frequency

Email address

History - recent searches. Use to re- run earlier searches or to set up alerts

Alerts• Scheduled searches – keyword alerts• Updates – broad subject alerts

Managing Lexis Alerts: My Research

Lexis- My Research – Alerts – Scheduled Searches

Lexis- My Research – Alerts – UpdatesAlerts for broad subject areas

Resources types

Subjects

Jurisdiction

Lexis- My Research – Alerts – Updates

Lexis- My Research - History

Creating an alert from search history

Keeping up to date: subject alerts

Lexis Nexis Butterworths Cases, legislation from around the World Choose “My Research” / “Updates” and browse

subject categories Lawtel Updates

UK cases, legislation, bills in selected subject areas Choose “Lawtel Updates” and browse subject

categories

Keeping up to date with legal news and views, also twitter

Huge number of web sites and blogs offer feeds. e.g. Jurist (International & US Legal News)

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/ Global Legal Monitor

http://www.loc.gov/lawweb/servlet/lloc_news?home Law.Com

http://www.law.com/newswire_rss.xml Legal Blog Watch (monitors legal blogs)

http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/

Directories of legal web sites and blogs with feeds

Justia Blawgsearch - http://blawgsearch.justia.com/ Directory of blogs organised by subject, jurisdiction,

law school etc Note – other blog directories listed at the foot of the

page Virtual chase -

http://www.virtualchase.com/topics/rss_law.shtml Directory of legal RSS feeds (recently updated)

Blawgrepublic directory - http://www.blawgrepublic.com/dir/

Directory of blogs monitored by Blawgrepublic Blawg.com http://www.blawg.com/

Directory of feeds, blogs and podcasts Almost entirely American

Intute - http://www.intute.ac.uk Browse or search for your subject then choose “Filter” –

Blogs