Now that Google has discontinued RSS delivery of Google Alerts, in addition to ending their Google Reader RSS Service, many of you may be wondering how to receive RSS feeds for your custom searches. The process is actually quite simple, but one must switch and use Microsoft Bing's Search Engine!
Eh gads ... Microsoft Bing! For many of us making that search engine switch seemed impossible a few months ago, but give Microsoft its chance. Google has ended many popular services, and their lead in providing optimal search results does not seem to be true anymore.
Thus, like many people I replaced Google Reader with Feedly. The process of replacing Google Alerts is easy:
- Link to Microsoft Bing
- Construct your search query
- Use advanced operators to obtain more reliable results
- Run your query
- Add this code to the end of the resulting url
- "&format=RSS” (without the quotes)
- Add this code to the end of the resulting url
- Copy your new url string into the "subscription" window of your RSS reader.
Here is an example.
I live across the road from a northwoods creek and waterfall that rushes down the hill to Lake Superior. Thus, perhaps I would like a RSS feed on Amity Creek
- My query starts as: Amity Creek
- I then insist on an exact phrase using advanced operators
- My query now becomes: "Amity Creek"
- However, I know there is an Amity Creek in Oregon. I want Minnesota.
- My query now becomes: "Amity Creek" AND NOT Oregon
- I run this query via Bing
- I add "&format=RSS” (without the quotes) to the end of the resulting url
Here is my url string to which I will subscribe in Feedly:
I now have the search alerts delivered via RSS to my reader (Feedly).