As all types of periodically updated information channel gets retro-fitted with a RSS muffler, your SMS-enabled mobile phone can be the ultimate mobile RSS filter and terminal for just-in-time critical information.

If you depend on timely notification of information, breaking news, email requests containing specific keywords, changes to information systems or files, RSS is the perfect vehicle to track, monitor and notify you in the most cost-effective fashion.

And no matter where you are, RSS can now reach you: via SMS.

Photo credit: Frank van den Berg

As RSS spreads into every possible content delivery and distribution medium, the applications that start to leverage the unlimited potential of this technology in new and effective ways are starting to appear.

Thanks to the real-time monitoring capabilities available to information aggregator PubSub, a new company called FeedBeep has been able to create a simple, and easy-to-use online service that allows you to track any number of RSS feeds for specific keywords and occurences while being automatically notified via SMS on your mobile phone as soon as there is a match.

The system work with al RSS feeds and with any mobile cellular phone around the world.

FeedBeep (The service is not available anymore) is indeed the ultimate bridge between RSS and the individual even when away from the computer. The final link between your mobile information terminal, whatever that is and the ocean of information available on the Internet.

Alerts can be set to go to your mobile device or our web messaging system based on your keywords or any time new information is posted to a feed.

Here is how it works:

After you register and log in, you can upgrade to a Basic ($2.95/month) or Pro ($14.95/month) account with PayPal or any major credit card.

This enables your account for SMS delivery while crediting in advance for the receipt of a number of alerts. The number of messages granted to each account will depend on the type of fees that your mobile provider will charge FeedBeep (usually between 5-15 cents).

When setting up your RSS to SMS alerts you can enter the URL of any valid RSS feed and start receiving notifications the moment you hit 'Save'.

But you can be much more specific and precise in your request to be notified. You can:

1) Enter search terms that need to be matched for the SMS alert to be triggered.

2) Use + and - signs to add multiple inclusion and exclusion keywords from yor filtering queries.

3) Limit the number of feed notifications you will receive in one day.

4) Select your quiet time. This is the time of the day of the day when you don't want to be disturbed by RSS-to-SMS alerts.

It is strongly suggested to check initially the number of matches showing up from your RSS-to-SMS filter by monitoring the web-based aggregator that is available as part of your FeedBeep account. Once you have assessed that the focus and frequency of your query are working fine before activating the SMS alert functionality, "to avoid a potential deluge of messages from an active source".

From the official press release:

"PubSub is a free service that monitors more than nine million Internet sources on users' behalf and notifies them instantly when things they care about are published in blogs, press releases, SEC filings, newsgroups and other sources.

PubSub's real-time offering is called "prospective search" for its ability to alert on new information as soon as it appears.

FeedBeep, a service of Santa Cruz Tech delivers RSS news feeds from around the world to your SMS phone or pager.

FeedBeep utilizes PubSub's prospective search technology to monitor RSS feeds and the blogosphere-using keyword search. FeedBeep then forwards important events in the form of alerts to subscribers' cellular phones or other SMS-enabled mobile devices.

Using PubSub, FeedBeep delivers instant access to potentially critical news. For example, when a press release is published containing keywords or phrases requested in users' subscriptions, FeedBeep alerts those subscribers via SMS. In this example, public relations professionals and reporters would receive instant notification of breaking news important to them, without having to continually monitor dozens or hundreds of Web sites from their computer."

Let RSS keep you updated wherever you go.

(Unfortunately the service is not available anymore)