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RSS Help

What is RSS?

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 sources, such as www.bls.gov.

RSS Readers:

RSS/News Readers (also called Aggregators) will subscribe and display RSS feeds for you. A number of free and commercial News Readers are available.

Many websites will let you add RSS feeds to a customized Web page. An example of these sites are: iGoogle, My Yahoo, Netvibes, Pageflakes and My AOL. Many Email applications include an RSS reader; examples of these are: Thunderbird and Outlook 2007.

Weblogs:

Another way many people use RSS feeds is by incorporating content into weblogs, or "blogs". Blogs are web pages comprised of usually short, frequently updated items and web links. Blogging as a publishing tool is used for many purposes: traditional journalism, personal journals, group discussions around a topic, and many combinations in-between.

How do I subscribe to BLS feeds?

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." Follow the directions for your reader but, in most cases, here's how it works:

  • Near the feed you want, click on the link or small RSS button: RSS. For example, click on the button in the Latest Numbers box on http://www.bls.gov/.
  • From your web browser's address bar, copy the URL (web address). For example, the URL you would copy for the Bureau's Latest Numbers is: http://www.bls.gov/feed/bls_latest.rss.
  • Paste that URL into the "Add New Channel" section of the reader. The RSS feed will start to display and regularly update the headlines for you.