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Justis FAQs – What is RSS?
RSS is a type of dynamic document that enables you to keep up-to-date with new documents added to the Justis databases and with news about Justis. The document consists of one or more titles, linked to relevant web pages, each with a summary of what is new. Justis Publishing updates the RSS document (called a feed) with new information, and you can read it in your web browser (or a dedicated reader) when it suits you.
- What does RSS stand for?
- How do I know if an RSS feed is available?
- What does an RSS feed look like?
- How do I use an RSS feed?
- How do I subscribe?
- Can I use my normal web browser?
- Can I change the name of an RSS feed?
- How does RSS differ from email?
What does RSS stand for?
There is no agreement about what “RSS” stands for – Really Simple Syndication is probably the most common expansion, but it is also known as Rich Site Summary and RDF Site Summary.
How do I know if an RSS feed is available?
Just look for the orange RSS icon 
, either in the body of the web page, or in your browser’s address bar or toolbar.
RSS icons for subscribing to alerts about new documents in Justis databases
RSS icon for subscribing to news about Justis
What does an RSS feed look like?
Here are examples of items from a Justis alert on dismissal, Justis news, and a case report from The Weekly Law Reports
Each bold title is a link to a relevant web page, and is followed by a summary.
How do I use an RSS feed?
Just glance through the latest items, and click the bold title of anything that interests you – this will link you to the full-text document in a Justis database, or to the full news story.
How do I subscribe?
Click an orange RSS icon , and a preview of the feed will open. If you want to subscribe, then just follow the instructions that are provided in your web browser.
Try these working examples:
- Justis alert for FreeText[statutory dismissal disciplinary]
- Justis news
- JustCite news
- Latest cases in The Weekly Law Reports
Can I use my normal web browser?
You can use Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, Opera 9 or Safari 2 (which has a blue RSS icon), or any more recent version.
You can also use a separate program such as Awasu, SharpReader or any other RSS reader.
Can I change the name of an RSS feed?
You can change the names of feeds in your web browser or other RSS reader. Right-click the name, and select the appropriate option.
The names of RSS feeds are controlled by your browser, so it is not possible to change their names in My Justis.
How does RSS differ from email?
An RSS feed is an example of “pull” technology – you have control over what you receive and how often you receive it. Email is a “push” technology – once a sender has your email address, they can send you whatever they like, as often as they like.
- RSS does not suffer from spam, and you only receive feeds to which you have subscribed; some email users receive thousands of unwanted messages each day.
- Subscribing to an RSS feed is anonymous; you have to provide at least your email address to subscribe to an email service.
- You can check RSS feeds at your convenience; they don’t fill up your email inbox.
- You can choose how often your reader checks for new content in an RSS feed (right-click its title and check the properties); emails arrive whenever it suits the sender.
- Cancelling an RSS feed is entirely under your control (right-click its title, and choose Delete); it is not always simple to cancel an email service.
28th December 2007
