RSS readers (Really Simple Syndication), also known as news aggregators or feed readers, are an invaluable tool in today’s information-rich legal industry. RSS readers automatically pull in content from variety of online sources including blogs, articles, forums, web site content and news sources, and "feed" them directly to your desktop or smart phone for easy perusal. You can subscribe to the feeds that interest you most and control the quantity and quality of information you receive.
Advantages of RSS Feed Readers
RSS feed readers are a free and easy way to stay abreast of the information most important to your career. RSS readers allow you to:
- Stay informed of the latest legal news,trends, technology, case law, technology innovations and other information by retrieving the latest content from the sites that most interest you.
- Save time by not visiting each site individually or scouring the Internet for information on topics that interest you.
- Control the flow and quality of information you receive.
- View and scan multiple content streams simultaneously.
- Stay up to date in your practice area.
- Ensure your privacy by preventing the need to join each site's e-mail newsletter.
- Obtain fresh content automatically, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Avoid missing information if you forget to check a certain site.
Setting up Your RSS Reader
Many legal web sites and blogs offer a feed of their content in RSS format. As RSS grows in popularity, a growing number of sites will offer their own RSS feeds.
You do not need advanced technical knowledge to set up your RSS feed reader; simply follow the instructions on the home page of the RSS reader of your choice (see popular RSS readers below).
Once you have set up your RSS reader, you can locate sites that syndicate content and add their RSS feed to the list of feeds your feed reader checks. Many sites display a small icon with the acronyms RSS, XML, or RDF to let you know a feed is available (for example, to subscribe to the legal careers blog, click on the orange icon next to “RSS” at the bottom right hand side of the legal careers home page). If the site does not display an RSS feed icon, simply copy the URL that corresponds to the topic that interests you and paste the URL into your reader.
Popular RSS Feed Readers
A number of RSS feed readers are available. Several of the most popular include: