University of Maryland Medical News

RSS Feeds and Podcasts

An RSS feed is...

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing Web content, such as news headlines. Using an RSS reader, you can view data feeds from various news sources, such as umm.edu, including headlines, summaries, links to full stories. Many Web sites, including www.umm.edu, offer free Web feeds to which you can subscribe. Every time the feed is updated (new web page on that topic, for example), people who have subscribed receive the file automatically.

Think of an Electronic Magazine...

When you subscribe to a magazine, each new issue is delivered to your mailbox. In the case of RSS feeds -- every time a new "issue" is available, it is delivered electronically to your computer.

RSS Feeds Offered by UM Medical Center and UM School of Medicine

The UM Medical Center and UM School of Medicine offers 5 RSS feeds and 2 podcasts (what is a podcast?). For more information and to subscribe, visit:

To Subscribe to an RSS Feed...

Visit our RSS Feed page to find a list of available topics/feeds and instructions on how to subscribe.

How do I Receive RSS Feeds?

To receive RSS feeds, you need a special reader that displays content. These readers are called "News Aggregators." There are many different readers available, most of which are free of charge. Most people use Web-based news readers such as My Yahoo!, Google Reader and Bloglines. Other prefer desktop software that you download and install on your computer (like iTunes).

Once you have set up your news reader, you simply subscribe to the podcasts/Web feeds you want. Visit our RSS Feed page for instructions on how to subscribe.

Additional Resources on the Web:

The following Web sites contain detailed information about podcasting and Web feeds:

This page was last updated on: April 7, 2009.