Searching for RSS Feeds

Keeping your content fresh and up-to-date is easy with the RSS template.  Once an RSS feed template has been applied, it will continue to update automatically until the template is removed.  Whether you’re looking for local or national news, sports updates, or the latest financial buzz, it’s going to be available in an RSS feed.  So, the real question is, how do you search for RSS feeds?

In this example we are going to search for an RSS feed from a local TV station.  By selecting an RSS feed from a local news source, you will be able to provide your patients with up-to-date information that is not only engaging, but specifically relevant to the area.  The steps below can also be applied to larger news organizations as well (NBC, Yahoo, NY Times, etc).

The local TV station we are searching for is “WRAL” (Raleigh, NC)

1. In your favorite search engine (ex. Google), search for:  “WRAL RSS feeds”   (local tv station + RSS feeds)

2. In most cases, the top search will reveal the sites RSS directory.

3. Once you have located the site’s RSS directory, you will be presented with a list of RSS feeds.  An RSS feed is essentially a link (URL) to a simple XML page that contains a list of very brief news stories.  Most will contain only a header/title, a brief summary, and possibly an image.  Conveniently, Mediplay’s RSS template is designed to adapt to feeds with and without images.

4. The next step is to select the RSS feed that you would like to display.  In most cases, the feeds are listed by category (as seen above).  Simply click on any of the links to preview the contents of the feed.  It is important to locate an RSS feed from a trustworthy source, as you will not be able to control which articles are displayed from a particular feed.  This is why it is important to take a moment to read through the most recent articles to get a good idea of what to expect from the feed.

Here is what to look for:

• Is the content appropriate for the waiting room?
• How often is the content being updated?  Is the content fresh?  (check the time stamp under the article title)
• Does the content come from a trusted source?

Below, you find an example of an RSS feed, as previewed in a browser (ex. Firefox).

5. Once you have located a feed that you would like to use, simply copy the URL at the top of the page.  In this case, the RSS feed URL is:  https://www.wral.com/news/rss/142/

In some cases, you will see the following RSS “logo” image to the right of the URL.  This is a good indication that you are looking at a working RSS feed.

With the RSS Feed URL copied to your clipboard, the last step is to add it to your screen via Mediplay Connect.