title: Creating a Node.js event listener for when there is a new mysql record inserted into table (For Notification Feed)
body: <p>I am writing a PHP web application in Codeigniter that needs to have real time functionality. Specifically, the two real time features I am developing are real time chatting, and a real time notifications feed. </p>
  
  <p>I was able to use Node.JS and Socket.io to create a real time chat for the site(client to client), but I am struggling immensely on how to go about creating a notification system powered by node (database to client).  </p>
  
  <p><strong>Main Questions:</strong></p>
  
  <ol>
  <li><p>Is there a way to basically have a node event listen to when new records are inserted into a MySQL database?</p></li>
  <li><p>Can Node.js perform long polling to check if the database has new records? If so, would doing long polling with Node.js be more efficient than more traditional polling methods? </p></li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>Thank you so much in advance. Any examples would be highly appreciated! </p>