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Well Come To RSS Section!

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Learning the Basics of RSS

What is RSS?
You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS?
RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers.
1.    It gives you the latest updates.
Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2.    It saves on surfing time.
Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user’s time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3.    It gives the power of subscription to the user.
Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4.    It lessens the clutter in your in box.
Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5.    It is spam free.
Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6.    Unsubscribing is hassle-free.
Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7.    It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool.
Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS?
The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns.
1.    Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

2.    Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds.
For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3.    The identity of the source website can be confusing.
Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.

4.    Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.

5.    RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server.
Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6.    Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS?
There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1.    Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly

2.    Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3.    Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

   All you need to know about RSS

What does RSS mean?

RSS may mean three different things. The original RSS (RDF Site Summary RSS 0.9) was developed by Dan Libby for Netscape. After a couple of months, they produced a simpler and easier-to-use version called Rich Site Summary or RSS 0.91. But they later lost interest, leaving it without an owner. As more and more users were using RSS, Winer made an adapted version of RSS 0.91 for Userland, claiming it as his own. Later in 2005, Microsoft developed Really Simple Syndication in relation to its Simple Sharing Extensions.

What is RSS?

RSS is a XML file format for syndicating content and news in the web. It is usually used by websites that constantly need to update their content regularly such as news websites (CNN, BBC and Reuters) and weblogs. Since it essentially gives one’s webpage more traffic, it is now more widely used in marketing, web publications and virus reports. Today, large and small websites alike are usually RSS-enabled.

For example, you’re an avid fan of baseball and you want to share something recent about one of the players. Other than content, you can also attach multimedia files, like videos or pictures. By using RSS feeds, other Internet users subscribed to RSS-enabled sites can read your “headline” for free. They can also track for changes and updates using news aggregators, which will be discussed later on.

How does RSS work?

To be able to use RSS, you first have to download a software (content management system), by which XML format can be read. The title and, excerpt of the article, and a link to the full article are shown. Other than just text, you can also insert multimedia files in RSS feeds like pictures, videos, mp3s and others. Broadcatching, picturecasting, photocasting, and podcasting are some features you can incorporate into your feed, but will not be discussed in this article.

For users to access a RSS feed, they need to use an aggregator or a feed reader. An aggregator searches for updates on RSS-enabled webpages then displays it. It can either be a standalone program or a web browser extension, depending on your operating system. Search engines for web content broadcasted over RSS feed are also available such as Plazoo and Feedster.

How can I make an RSS feed?

It is definitely easier to make an RSS feed if you know HTML. If not, you could sign up for a blog (there are hundreds out there), some of which automatically creates RSS. If you’re using a personal webpage building system, you need to understand more about RSS. Making an RSS feed from scratch is relatively easy.

A RSS feed should always contain an “item”, whichever version of RSS you might use. If you wrote about a recent event in your city or a book review, the contents of this article can form an item. An item is essentially composed of three things: a title, its description, and link (where they can find your webpage). In choosing a title and description, use something that will describe the web content best. Although it will be easier for you, it doesn’t follow that the title tag of your webpage and the item title are the same.

An item will look like HTML tags. First, you need to put an opening channel tag that defines it as an XML file. Then, label the tag as an item by putting <item> after the channel tag. After this, you can now insert the three essentials of your item: <title>, <description>, and <link>. Just like HTML, we need to close the tag by writing </channel> and </rss> at the bottom.

An RSS feed that contains multiple tags looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">

<channel>

<item>
<title>Anne Rice’s Belinda: A Book Review</title>
<description> If you haven’t read any Anne Rice books yet, you will be greeted with shocking romantic relationships forming between unlikely characters… </description>
<link> http://allaboutbookreviews.com/belinda </link>

<item>
<title>Harry Potter IV: Darker with More Deaths</title>
<description> The recently released Harry Potter installation has proved dark for its younger readers…</description>
<link> http://allaboutbookreviews.com/harrypotterandthehalfbloodprince </link>

</channel>

</rss>

Now, if you’re still having a hard time understanding these tags, look for HTML tags tutorial to further grasp the concept. Have fun!

A GUIDE ON RSS TOOL

RSS is an abbreviation that has evolved into the following, depending on their versions:

·    RDF Site Summary (also known as RSS 0.9; the first version of RSS)

·    Rich Site Summary (also known as RSS 0.91; a prototype)

·    Really Simple Syndication (also known as RSS 2.0)

Today, RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication', and it has the following 7 existing formats or versions:

·    0.90
·    0.91
·    0.92
·    0.93
·    0.94
·    1.0
·    2.0

RSS tools refer to a group of file formats that are designed to share headlines and other web content (this may be a summary or simply 1 to 2 lines of the article), links to the full versions of the content (the full article or post), and even file attachments such as multimedia files. All of these data is delivered in the form of an XML file (XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language), which has the following common names:

·    RSS feed
·    Webfeed
·    RSS stream
·    RSS channel

They are typically shown on web pages as an orange rectangle that usually has the letters XML or RSS in it.

RSS feeds can be used to deliver any kind of information. Some of these 'feeds' include:

·    Blogs feed - each blog entry is summarized as a feed item. This makes blog posts easier to scan, enabling 'visitors' to zoom in on their items of interest.

·    Article feed - this alerts readers whenever there are new articles and web contents available.

·    Forum feed - this allows users to receive forum posts and latest discussion topics.

·    Schedule feed - this allows users (such as schools, clubs, and other organizations) to broadcast events and announce schedule changes or meeting agendas.

·    Discounts or Special feed - this is used to enable users (such as retail and online stores) to 'deliver' latest specials and discounted offers.

·    Ego or News Monitoring - this enables users to receive 'filtered' headlines or news that are based on a specific phrase or keyword.

·    Industry-specific feed - used by technical professionals in order to market, promote, or communicate with current (and prospective) customers and clients within their specific industries.

RSS feeds enable people to track numerous blogs and news sources at the same time. To produce an RSS feed, all you need is the content or the article that you want to publicize and a validated RSS text file. Once your text file is registered at various aggregators (or 'news readers'), any external site can then capture and display your RSS feed, automatically updating them whenever you update your RSS file.

RSS tools are useful for sites that add or modify their contents on a regular basis. They are especially used for 'web syndication' or activities that involve regular updates and/or publications, such as the following:

·    News websites - as used by major news organizations such as Reuters, CNN, and the BBC.
·    Marketing
·    Bug reports
·    Personal weblogs

There are many benefits to using RSS feeds. Aside from being a great supplemental communication method that streamlines the communication needs of various sectors, RSS tools and feeds can also have tremendous benefits in your business, particularly in the field of internet marketing.

RSS tools and feeds provide Internet users with a free (or cheap) and easy advertising or online marketing opportunity for their businesses. Below are some of the RSS features that can help make your internet marketing strategies more effective.

1. Ease in content distribution services. With RSS, your business can be captured and displayed by virtually any external site, giving you an easy way to 'spread out' and advertise them.

2. Ease in regular content updates. With RSS, web contents concerning your business can now be automatically updated on a daily (and even hourly) basis. Internet users will be able to experience 'real time' updates as information in your own file (such as new products and other business-related releases) is changed and modified simultaneously with that of the RSS feeds that people are subscribed to.

3. Custom-made content services. With RSS, visitors can have personalized content services, allowing them total control of the flow and type of information that they receive. Depending on their interests and needs, visitors can subscribe to only those contents that they are looking for (such as real estate or job listings).

4. Increase in (and targeted) traffic. With RSS, traffic will be directed to your site as readers of your content summary (or 1 to 2 lines of your article) who find them interesting are 'forced' to click on a link back to your site.

These are just several of the many things that you can do with RSS. The possibilities are endless, and they are all aimed at providing you with an effective internet marketing strategy for your business.

Reading RSS Feeds with an RSS Aggregator

RSS or Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary is the latest information management tool that is gradually earning popularity among web users and website owners. With RSS technology, it is possible to get the latest postings from your favorite websites. But clicking on the RSS or XML button in a homepage is not enough to give you the service you need. An RSS feed or code displayed in the pop-up screen if not on the main page is composed of symbols and words that would only make sense to advanced RSS users and computer programmers and software enthusiasts. Another software tool called an RSS aggregator or reader is needed.

An aggregator works by scanning the worldwide web with latest postings based on the RSS code (containing the website’s URL) provided or added by the user. When it finds a new posting, news, or update, it will publish the RSS feed on your home page containing the title of the posting, which also serves as a clickable link to the website source. This RSS feed may or may not contain the whole article, a summary, and photos, depending on what RSS aggregator you are using.

Aggregators come in two types: the downloadable program or desktop-type and the online or web-based type. The desktop aggregator usually charges a certain amount for its services; this would include regular updating in the form of upgrades or patches to the original version. This type of RSS reader allows more customization of RSS feeds as well as page format or design over its on-line counterparts. But of course, price can be a drawback.

On-line or web-based aggregators are free of charge. All you need to do is register an account with them then you can start enjoying their services. Depending on the “brand” of the aggregator, customization is more limited. Some even do not allow you to customize at all.

Product and service advertisers are realizing the potential of RSS aggregators in internet marketing. In fact, several submit RSS codes to several popular web-based aggregators to reach the growing technophile and internet-based market. My Yahoo has been instrumental in popularizing RSS technology to both users and website owners and advertisers.

At present, there are many aggregators to choose from and newer versions of the same aggregator are constantly developed by its programmers.

Below are some of these desktop and online aggregators:
Desktop Aggregators
1.    AmphetaDesk
Advantages:
-    free
-    supports Linux, Mac, and Windows
-    easy addition of RSS feeds

Disadvantages:
-    not maximized use of screen display
-    few options for customizing

2.    FeedDemon
Advantages:
-    user friendly
-    free trial version
-    contains prepared popular feeds
-    allows filtering of RSS feeds
-    configurable “watch list” to manage junk RSS feeds
-    search channel feature that incorporates other RSS services e.g. Feedster
-    allows feed storage for future use
-    tabbed browsers for channel navigation
-    built-in podcast receiver

Disadvantages:
-    supports only Internet Explorer (embedded)
-    paid software (`$29.95)

Online Aggregators
1.    Bloglines
Advantages:
-    all major browsers supported (e.g. Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Firefox)
-    user-friendly especially for beginners
-    free, web-based aggregator
-    easy registration
-    no advertisements
-    contains its own directory of RSS feeds of thousands of websites
-    personal email account for subscribing to newsletter emails (optional)
-    allows privacy adjustments for personal blogs
-    allows saved searches
-    mobile version available
-    10 languages supported
-    Additional add-on tools for automated blogrolls and subscription buttons

2.    NewsGator
Advantages:
-    free (consumer-standard version)
-    provides personalized news channel
-    allows translation of RSS articles into email format
-    synchronization of feeds in several devices possible
-    browse and search feed capabilities save time on surfing
-    allows keyword filtering
-    blog headlines
-    button-click automatic subscription to news feeds

Disadvantage:
-    Outlook-based thus limited to Windows

3.    MyYahoo
Advantages:
-    Free web-based aggregator
-    user-friendly
-    customizable home page design
-    button-click subscription to RSS feeds
-    built-in directory and search tool for feeds
-    wide variety of feeds e.g. news (science, technology, local), weather
-    connects to all Yahoo features and services

Disadvantage
-    banner advertisements

There are also lightweight RSS aggregator extensions which are actually plug-ins to existing internet browsers. An example of which is Sage aggregator.

Advantages:
-    free of charge
-    beginner-friendly
-    reeds both RSS and Atom feeds
-    allows feed discovery
-    can be assimilated to Firefox bookmark (storage and live)
-    allows OPML feed lists imports and exports
-    customizable style sheets
-    supports a wide range of locales e.g. Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Polish, Slovenian, etc.
-    easy installation

Disadvantages:
-    good for about 12 RSS feeds
-    limited use to Mozilla-Firefox and Mozilla-Firefox supported browsers

RSS developers promise better features in future versions of their aggregators. Microsoft is planning to include a built-in aggregator in their next Windows version. These developments are definitely something to look forward to by all internet aficionados.

What is RSS? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and recently also Rich Site Summary.RSS feeds are recent news of a site written in XML and by subscribed to RSS feeds of a site you can regularly get updated news about the site with RSS reader.

RSS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RSS (most commonly expanded as "Really Simple Syndication") is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") includes full or summarized text, plus meta data such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feed's URI or by clicking an RSS icon in a web browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds.

RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats. Although RSS formats have evolved from as early as March 1999, it was between 2005 and 2006 when RSS gained widespread use, and the ("") icon was decided upon by several major Web browsers.

History
Main article: History of web syndication technology

The RSS formats were preceded by several attempts at web syndication that did not achieve widespread popularity. The basic idea of restructuring information about websites goes back to as early as 1995, when Ramanathan V. Guha and others in Apple Computer's Advanced Technology Group developed the Meta Content Framework.[6] For a more detailed discussion of these early developments, see the history of web syndication technology.

RDF Site Summary, the first version of RSS, was created by Guha at Netscape in March 1999 for use on the My.Netscape.Com portal. This version became known as RSS 0.9. In July 1999, Dan Libby of Netscape produced a new version, RSS 0.91, which simplified the format by removing RDF elements and incorporating elements from Dave Winer's scriptingNews syndication format. Libby also renamed RSS "Rich Site Summary" and outlined further development of the format in a "futures document".

This would be Netscape's last participation in RSS development for eight years. As RSS was being embraced by web publishers who wanted their feeds to be used on My.Netscape.Com and other early RSS portals, Netscape dropped RSS support from My.Netscape.Com in April 2001 during new owner AOL's restructuring of the company, also removing documentation and tools that supported the format.

Two entities emerged to fill the void, with neither Netscape's help nor approval: The RSS-DEV Working Group and Winer, whose UserLand Software had published some of the first publishing tools outside of Netscape that could read and write RSS.

Winer published a modified version of the RSS 0.91 specification on the UserLand website, covering how it was being used in his company's products, and claimed copyright to the document. A few months later, UserLand filed a U.S. trademark registration for RSS, but failed to respond to a USPTO trademark examiner's request and the request was rejected in December 2001.

The RSS-DEV Working Group, a project whose members included Guha and representatives of O'Reilly Media and Moreover, produced RSS 1.0 in December 2000. This new version, which reclaimed the name RDF Site Summary from RSS 0.9, reintroduced support for RDF and added XML namespaces support, adopting elements from standard meta data vocabularies such as Dublin Core.

In December 2000, Winer released RSS 0.92 a minor set of changes aside from the introduction of the enclosure element, which permitted audio files to be carried in RSS feeds and helped spark podcasting. He also released drafts of RSS 0.93 and RSS 0.94 that were subsequently withdrawn.

In September 2002, Winer released a major new version of the format, RSS 2.0, that redubbed its initials Really Simple Syndication. RSS 2.0 removed the type attribute added in the RSS 0.94 draft and added support for namespaces. To preserve backward compatibility with RSS 0.92, namespace support applies only to other content included within an RSS 2.0 feed, not the RSS 2.0 elements themselves. (Although other standards such as Atom attempt to correct this limitation, RSS feeds are not aggregated with other content often enough to shift the popularity from RSS to other formats having full namespace support.)

Because neither Winer nor the RSS-DEV Working Group had Netscape's involvement, they could not make an official claim on the RSS name or format. This has fueled ongoing controversy in the syndication development community as to which entity was the proper publisher of RSS.

One product of that contentious debate was the creation of an alternative syndication format, Atom, that began in June 2003. The Atom syndication format, whose creation was in part motivated by a desire to get a clean start free of the issues surrounding RSS, has been adopted as IETF Proposed Standard RFC 4287.

In July 2003, Winer and UserLand Software assigned the copyright of the RSS 2.0 specification to Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, where he had just begun a term as a visiting fellow.[17] At the same time, Winer launched the RSS Advisory Board with Brent Simmons and Jon Udell, a group whose purpose was to maintain and publish the specification and answer questions about the format.

In December 2005, the Microsoft Internet Explorer team and Outlook team announced on their blogs that they were adopting the feed icon first used in the Mozilla Firefox browser( ). A few months later, Opera Software followed suit. This effectively made the orange square with white radio waves the industry standard for RSS and Atom feeds, replacing the large variety of icons and text that had been used previously to identify syndication data.

In January 2006, Rogers Cadenhead relaunched the RSS Advisory Board without Dave Winer's participation, with a stated desire to continue the development of the RSS format and resolve ambiguities. In June 2007, the board revised their version of the specification to confirm that namespaces may extend core elements with namespace attributes, as Microsoft has done in Internet Explorer 7. According to their view, a difference of interpretation left publishers unsure of whether this was permitted or forbidden.

Variants

There are several different versions of RSS, falling into two major branches (RDF and 2.*).

The RDF (or RSS 1.*) branch includes the following versions:

RSS 0.90 was the original Netscape RSS version. This RSS was called RDF Site Summary, but was based on an early working draft of the RDF standard, and was not compatible with the final RDF Recommendation.
RSS 1.0 is an open format by the RSS-DEV Working Group, again standing for RDF Site Summary. RSS 1.0 is an RDF format like RSS 0.90, but not fully compatible with it, since 1.0 is based on the final RDF 1.0 Recommendation.
RSS 1.1 is also an open format and is intended to update and replace RSS 1.0. The specification is an independent draft not supported or endorsed in any way by the RSS-Dev Working Group or any other organization.

The RSS 2.* branch (initially UserLand, now Harvard) includes the following versions:

RSS 0.91 is the simplified RSS version released by Netscape, and also the version number of the simplified version originally championed by Dave Winer from Userland Software. The Netscape version was now called Rich Site Summary; this was no longer an RDF format, but was relatively easy to use.
RSS 0.92 through 0.94 are expansions of the RSS 0.91 format, which are mostly compatible with each other and with Winer's version of RSS 0.91, but are not compatible with RSS 0.90.
RSS 2.0.1 has the internal version number 2.0. RSS 2.0.1 was proclaimed to be "frozen", but still updated shortly after release without changing the version number. RSS now stood for Really Simple Syndication. The major change in this version is an explicit extension mechanism using XML namespaces.

For the most part, later versions in each branch are backward-compatible with earlier versions (aside from non-conformant RDF syntax in 0.90), and both versions include properly documented extension mechanisms using XML Namespaces, either directly (in the 2.* branch) or through RDF (in the 1.* branch). Most syndication software supports both branches. "The Myth of RSS Compatibility", an article written in 2004 by RSS critic and Atom advocate Mark Pilgrim, discusses RSS version compatibility issues in more detail.

The extension mechanisms make it possible for each branch to track innovations in the other. For example, the RSS 2.* branch was the first to support enclosures, making it the current leading choice for podcasting, and as of 2005^[update] is the format supported for that use by iTunes and other podcasting software; however, an enclosure extension is now available for the RSS 1.* branch, mod_enclosure. Likewise, the RSS 2.* core specification does not support providing full-text in addition to a synopsis, but the RSS 1.* markup can be (and often is) used as an extension. There are also several common outside extension packages available, including a new proposal from Microsoft for use in Internet Explorer 7.

The most serious compatibility problem is with HTML markup. Userland's RSS reader—generally considered as the reference implementation—did not originally filter out HTML markup from feeds. As a result, publishers began placing HTML markup into the titles and descriptions of items in their RSS feeds. This behavior has become expected of readers, to the point of becoming a de facto standard, though there is still some inconsistency in how software handles this markup, particularly in titles. The RSS 2.0 specification was later updated to include examples of entity-encoded HTML; however, all prior plain text usages remain valid.

^[update]As of January 2007, tracking data from www.syndic8.com indicates that the three main versions of RSS in current use are 0.91, 1.0, and 2.0. Of these, RSS 0.91 accounts for 13 percent of worldwide RSS usage and RSS 2.0 for 67 percent, while RSS 1.0 has a 17 percent share.^[22] These figures, however, do not include usage of the rival web feed format Atom^[update]. As of August 2008, the syndic8.com website is indexing 546,069 total feeds, of which 86,496 were some dialect of Atom and 438,102 were some dialect of RSS.

Modules

The primary objective of all RSS modules is to extend the basic XML schema established for more robust syndication of content. This inherently allows for more diverse, yet standardized, transactions without modifying the core RSS specification.

To accomplish this extension, a tightly controlled vocabulary (in the RSS world, "module"; in the XML world, "schema") is declared through an XML namespace to give names to concepts and relationships between those concepts.

Some RSS 2.0 modules with established namespaces are:

Ecommerce RSS 2.0 Module
Media RSS 2.0 Module
OpenSearch RSS 2.0 Module

BitTorrent and RSS

Several BitTorrent-based peer-to-peer applications also support RSS. Such feeds (also known as Torrent/RSS-es or Torrentcasts) allow client applications to download files automatically from the moment the RSS reader detects them (also known as Broadcatching).

(If you want to know about above topics in detail justn post your comment in the Guest Book and if you want to discuss about Free traffic and free advertising resources with like minded people then just registered at out Forum.You will get a chance to post your offer as a classified ad in the Forum as there is a section in the Forum where you can insert your ad)

AJust how should you evaluate predictions of the death of e-mail marketing due to spam overload? How about calls for a new publishing standard in RSS? Frankly, I've been confused and befuddled by talk of RSS? What is it? Can it really replace e-mail? How hard is it to implement? In this issue I'm offering two articles that I hope will demystify this subject for you:

    * A Case for Publishing via RSS Feed and E-Mail
    * How to Set Up an RSS Feed to Syndicate Your Headlines
    * Links to RSS Articles and Resources
Chris Pirillo wrote one of the first books on e-mail newsletters -- Poor Richard's E-mail Publishing (Top Floor Publishing, 1999, ISBN 0966103254 ). So when he announces that e-mail publishing is dying and that RSS feeds will be their replacement, I sit up and take notice.

If you're like me, you've seen the acronym RSS (Really Simple Syndication) floating in the Internet's alphabet soup, but you've never really understood it -- or its potential. More than that, I must confess to technology overload. For the first two days I studied RSS, the whole concept was fuzzy, foggy, and elusive.

My goal is to provide you with some simple handles on RSS -- what it is good for and how to use it to promote your online business. So fasten your mental seat belts and let's explore a brand new concept -- RSS feeds and RSS syndication. I'm a hands-on kind of guy, but I am going to purposely avoid technical issues in this article. You can get many technical explanations of RSS on the Internet -- I've listed many good articles under RSS Resources. But first you need a non-technical explanation to introduce you to this subject. /search/cat.php?page=1&querytype=category&subcat=me_RSS
What Can RSS Do for You?

I understand things better when I understand what they can accomplish. Here's what RSS can do for you as a newsletter publisher:

RSS feeds show the headlines and links to your articles to others without you having to e-mail those titles and links to your list subscribers. Within a few minutes or hours of publishing, people are aware of your latest articles and many will click through to read the article.
What Does an RSS Feed Consist of?

An RSS feed is essentially a file coded in XML that contains, for each of your most recent articles:

    * Title
    * Article URL
    * Descriptive teaser sentences designed to get someone to read the article
If Mary Customer "subscribes" to your RSS feed, her news aggregator program will check this file every few hours. If any articles are added, the new article titles will be displayed almost immediately.
What is a News Aggregator?

A news aggregator is a new kind of software installed on your computer that allows you to receive RSS feeds. It's a lot like the news group readers of yesteryear. Eventually, I expect to see news aggregators become an integral part of web browsers or e-mail programs.
How Prevalent is RSS?

Just how many people are gathering information via RSS feeds? Probably millions worldwide. I talked to Greg Reinacker of NewsGator, a popular RSS news feed aggregator that integrates with Microsoft Outlook. He estimates that less that 1% of Internet end users have a news aggregator at present, though he believes that RSS feeds are just now being noticed by the mainstream press. Those who use news aggregators find that they can keep up with the news sites they are tracking in a quarter of the time they used to spend. I expect to see the number of users growing very rapidly this coming year.

Publishers are increasingly using RSS feeds. Just recently Yahoo! began to syndicate 14 of its news feeds using RSS (http://news.yahoo.com/rss/). More and more publications -- as well as thousands of blogs -- offer RSS syndication.
How Expensive Is It?

Publishing your headlines in RSS is essentially free. You'll need to remember to add an "item" to your RSS feed each time you post a new article on your website or publish a newsletter. Even the publishing tools are free.
Is E-Mail Marketing Dying?

A few gurus predict the death of e-mail as a publishing and marketing tool, such as respected industry player Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome.com. But I think reports of e-mail publishing's death are exaggerated. And, at this point, RSS hasn't been widely adopted as a replacement.

I also see statistics cited by MarketingSherpa and DoubleClick to prove that e-mail marketing is strong and healthy. Frankly, I don't believe them. From my vantage point, I've seen opt-in e-mail list revenues dwindle and opt-in e-mail newsletters become less responsive, so far as click-through rates are concerned. More ISPs are rejecting e-mails solely on the basis that they receive a certain threshold number of bouncing e-mails from a given source. There is a very serious problem.

However, I don't see e-mail marketing as dying, but challenged. I believe we'll find a way to renew the tremendously useful medium of e-mail. But we can't afford to ignore the growth of RSS feeds as a preferred way for many business people to receive information. RSS is on the cusp of widespread use. As a result, I am now offering site visitors the option of subscribing via e-mail and/or an RSS news feed that contains my article titles, URLs, and a short description. I recommend that you do the same. And, while you're at it, why don't you download a news aggregator and then sign up for my RSS feed right away?

How to Set Up an RSS Feed to Syndicate Your Headlines

Just how easy is it to publish and maintain RSS feeds to your e-mail newsletter or the articles on your site? Relatively easy -- at least that's what I'm saying now.

If you'd asked me a couple of days ago, however, I would have disagreed. I had immersed myself in all the technical details of RSS and installing channel creation tools and was confused. Let me see if I can break through some of the fog to help you figure out how to do this. In short, here's what's involved:

Use the free WebReference RSS Channel Editor to set up a channel and list up to 15 articles.
Upload the file you've created to your webserver.
Validate the XML to make sure it can be read by the multitude of news aggregation programs.
Advertise your RSS feed (channel) to various directories and to your site visitors
Maintain your feed by adding new articles using the RSS Channel Editor

Before we look at each of these points, however, I need to briefly discuss news aggregators and RSS formats.

News Aggregators

News aggregators are the software tools used to read the RSS news feeds that you and your customers will subscribe to. To give you an idea, here are screen shots from a couple of the more popular news aggregators for Windows.

FeedDemon larger image

NewsGator for Outlook larger image

A recent PC Magazine reviews four RSS news readers, ranking FeedDemon 1.0 and NewsGator 1.3 higher than FeedReader 2.5 and SharpReader 0.9.2.1 (www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1267205,00.asp). Mac users should look at NetNewsWire Lite. FeedDemon is a stand-alone product, NewsGator is integrated into Microsoft Outlook -- a very handy place to view updated feeds. This class of products is still in its infancy and has many competitors, but for now I think I'll stick with NewsGator (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/newsgator.htm).

Various RSS Formats

There's some controversy over competing RSS format standards. Most feeds use the related standards RSS 0.91 or 2.0, which are pretty similar. A 1.0 version was introduced by a group that wanted to add RDF metadata to make it more robust, thus splitting the standards into two groups. Ben Hammersley, author of Content Syndication with RSS (O'Reilly, 2003, ISBN 0596003838) describes the competing standards fairly, but is a champion of the RDF-based RSS 1.0 format.

I don't think it makes much difference what standard you adopt at first -- the crucial decision is what tool you can find to create your channel. For now the most accessible tools produce RSS 0.91 feeds. All the major news aggregators support all the formats. Of course, the more recent 1.0 and 2.0 standards each offer advantages, but don't wait until you can produce feeds in these formats. Start now with whatever standard is easiest for you and upgrade later.

1. Create a Channel

To create a RSS news channel that lists the various articles on your site or in your e-mail newsletter, you have four choices:

Construct it from scratch in Notepad. Not recommended.
Use a RSS syndication tool built into the content management or blogger software you may be using.
Prepare your feed from a stand-alone tool such as RSS Channel Editor.
Have a software tool "scrape" your site and incorporate the most important information it finds there. However, scraping your site with a tool like MyRSS may produce some pretty strange results unless the process is customized (www.myrss.com) and the appropriate sections are marked on your site.

I tried a number of tools and settled on the WebReference RSS Channel Editor (www.webreference.com/cgi-bin/perl/rssedit.pl). This program allows you to retrieve your current RSS file (if you have one set up), and edit it or add to it, up to 15 articles. The program produces RSS 0.91 output and works quite well. Another stand-alone program is the RSS Headline Creator from WebDevTips.com (www.webdevtips.com/webdevtips/codegen/rss.shtml) which produces RSS 2.0 output, but isn't as easy to maintain your feed as with the RSS Channel Editor. To see an example of a RSS 0.91 file, click here.

2. Upload the File

With RSS Channel Editor you click a button "Build RSS" and then copy and paste the code to a file. The extension you use doesn't really matter to the news aggregators -- .rss, .rdf, .xml all work. Now, with your FTP program, you upload your file to your webserver where it can be viewed and automatically checked by news aggregators.

3. Validate the XML

The next step is to check your RSS file to make sure that it is error-free. If you build this file from scratch or "improve" it with a text editor, errors can easily creep in. Of the various validation programs, I found that FEED Validator for RSS and Atom (www.feedvalidator.org) gave the most helpful suggestions to fix errors in the code. Another is Userland RSS Validator (http://aggregator.userland.com/validator).

4. Advertise Your RSS Feed

Once you've checked your code, it's time to let others know about your feed. This has two aspects:

Place an XML icon on your website hyperlinked to the URL of your RSS feed. For site visitors who have news aggregators, this is a clue that allows them to subscribe to the channel -- either by right-clicking on the icon and selecting subscribe or some other method. I've placed the XML icon on my subscription pop-up and the subscription forms at the bottom of my webpages. The icon doesn't need any explanation.
Register your RSS feed with various directories. Syndic8 (www.syndic8.com) is one of the largest and doesn't cost anything. First, you'll need to register. Then select "Suggest" from the top menu to give the URL of your RSS feed. After the feed has been reviewed and approved, it will appear in the Syndic8 directory. NewsIsFree (www.newsisfree.com) offers free listings for non-commercial organizations. RSSxpress lists UK sites (http://rssxpress.ukoln.ac.uk).

5. Keep Your Feed Up-to-Date

Finally, you'll need to maintain your feed by adding new articles using the RSS Channel Editor. Every time you post a new article on your website, remember to list it in your RSS feed also. If you faithfully do this, an increasing number of customers and interested visitors will rely on your RSS feed and will visit you whenever an article of interest appears in their news aggregator.

Displaying the Feed on Your Home Page

While this isn't necessary or even appropriate in all cases, consider displaying your own RSS feed on the home page of your website as a guide to what is new inside the site. There are several tools which convert RSS to HTML that you can display on your website. Here are some tools to try. Be aware that getting the various XML and RSS parsing modules installed on your webserver can be tricky, so you may need to enlist a programmer for an hour or so to help you get these one of these programs working:

News Feed Services from David Carter-Tod is by far the easiest program to employ. You include this URL plus a pointer to your RSS feed URL on your webpage and it generates code which places the feed on your page. No need to install any code on your server (www.wc.cc.va.us/services/news/).
rss2html.pl by Jonathan Eisenzopf is a Perl program that writes an RSS feed to an HTML file on your server. This file can then be displayed on your webpage using Server Side Includes (www.webreference.com/perl/tutorial/8/).
Grabrss is a Perl script that functions as an include file to place RSS feeds in a bulleted list (www.pugetsoundsoftware.com/s/grabrss.asp).
JSMFeed by Dominic Repici is a Perl program that translates RSS feeds to a Java format which is then displayed by JavaScript (www.creativyst.com/Prod/18/).

I've presented a lot of tools in this article for your use, but I think you'll find it easy to begin your first RSS feed using RSS Channel Editor (www.webreference.com/cgi-bin/perl/rssedit.pl). Why don't you get started?

Top Ways To Use Your RSS Feed To Promote Your Hubs

Your Hub Feed

You may have noticed that on your profile page there is a link that says 'subscribe to (your) RSS feed'. This is a way that people who are interested in the hubs that you are making can get updates each time you create a new hub using a feed reader on their computer desktop. But it is also a valuable tool that you can use yourself to promote your hubs, get more traffic to them, and make more money for yourself.

With a few simple steps you rss feed can generate both direct traffic and valuable backlinks. All you have to do is to go to your profile page, click on the link yourself, and the url (internet address) that it takes you to will be what you submit to the sites listed below.

WidgetBox

widgetbox.com is probably the most effective way that you can use to promote your rss feed. If you sign up for a free account then all you need to do is to click on 'make a widget' and then 'rss feed' and then submit the url for your hubpages feed to them and they will use it to create a widget - basically like a hubpages module that anyone can put on their website or blog to display for latest hubpages. You can then customize the colour, size and logo very easily.

If you have a website or blog yourself then you can add the widget they make for to your site to promote your new hubs to your visitors. Also widgetbox will promote your new widget to people who are looking for free content to add to their own websites, and you can even make your widget into an app for social networking sites like bebo. Using this free service is a great way to get free traffic and a free boost to the position of your hubs in search engine rankings, but if you want to go further you can also go 'pro' for a few dollars per month and add videos and other cool features to your widget to make it more appealing for people to add to their sites or social networkinng profile pages.

Feedburner

Feedburner.com is another free service, and although they don't do much to promote your feed themselves (other than send 'pings' to various places), they do provide some great tools for you to use. One useful feature of feedburner is that once you have given them your feed to 'burn' you can get then offer people the chance to get updates of your new hubs by email. If you have a website then you can just copy and paste a small piece of code into your site that feedburner will give you, and it will display a sign up box for people to opt in to get updates on what you are creating. You can also add google adsense to your feeds using this service to help you make money from it.

RSS Syndication

There are various websites out their that collect feeds from anyone who submits one to them, and displays all of the latest entries on a given topic on various category or tag pages. The list below are all places where you can add your feed for free. Don't expect a huge amount of traffic from them, but you should get some at least and you also get valuable backlinks for improving your position in search results.

http://feedsubmitter.com

http://www.feedagg.com

http://www.feedbomb.com

http://www.feedboy.com

http://www.feedest.com

http://www.jordomedia.com

http://www.jumptags.com

http://www.rss-feeds-submission.com

http://www.rssmad.com

http://www.rss-spider.com

http://www.syndic8.com

http://technorati.com

Some of these sites also include social networking features such as these:

http://www.blogcatalog.com

http://www.mybloglog.com

http://www.fuelmyblog.com

RSS Basics and the Benefits of RSS

RSS? Exactly what does it have to do with internet marketing?

You probably have seen RSS several times in the course of your internet surfing. What is RSS? RSS is a XML file format for syndicating content and news on the web. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

Simply stated, RSS is a means of publicizing updates about any website. It may or may not include a summary and/or photos of the latest posting. Other than plain text content, you can also add multimedia files, like videos or pictures. Those that do provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow any user to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains both the title of the actual update as well as the link to the website source.

How exactly does RSS work?

To be able to use RSS, you first have to download software (content management system), so that the XML format can be read. The title, and excerpt of the actual article, and a link to the full article are shown.

For users to access any particular RSS feed, they will need to use a feed reader or an aggregator or a of some type. An aggregator searches for updates on RSS-enabled webpages then displays it. It can either be a standalone application or a web browser type extension, depending on your operating system.

What exactly are the real benefits of RSS?

1. It gives you the latest updates as soon as it comes out.

2. It gives the power of subscription to the user.

3. It saves on surfing time by helping the surfer to decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

4. It can be used as a powerful advertising or marketing tool.

5. It cuts down on the clutter in your inbox.

6. It is spam free and since RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

7. Unsubscribing from an RSS feed is hassle-free.

What exactly are the drawbacks of RSS?

1. Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

2. Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds.

3. Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

4. Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits.

5. RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server.

6. The identity of the source website can be confusing.

How exactly do I start using RSS?

There are two things you need: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is what is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two types: a downloadable or online / web-based aggregators. Some aggregators may require payment, while some aggregators are free of charge. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1. Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are usually recommended since they are usually very user-friendly

2. Look for the RSS or XML button on the website you are interested in. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 does provide a directory of several websites that support RSS.

3. Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention was to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interested them. This is very similar in fact, to actually bookmarking websites.

RSS used in internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Today RSS is fast replacing email marketing and newsletters. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Internet marketing now becomes much more specific to interested people and is no longer a hit-or-miss operation.

Anyone who intends to use RSS for marketing their own products or services should consider linking up with various email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of various newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to large-scale companies.

Other ideas, check look into other networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot), club websites and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as in online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike. RSS feeds can give your website a lot more traffic than through the usual web hosting. More web traffic coming to your web site means more a lot more people eventually seeing your products. Add basic strength to your online marketing strategy. Make RSS feeds to your site and be prepared to sell.

RSS: The Basics All Bloggers Should Know

Blogs are making it possible for all of the world's information to be accessible. But keeping up-to-date with the multitude of information you are interested in can be overwhelming. Wouldn't it be nice to have the freshest news and content delivered directly to you without having to surf from one blog to another? RSS informs you when blogs have added new content. You can get the latest headlines and blog entries be they text, audio files, photographs or video in one screen as soon as they are published.

Figuring Out RSS

You must have noticed the little orange buttons with the icons XML, RSS, Subscribe, and Syndicate This Site when you visit blogs. Clicking on the button, all you will see is a heap of computer codes. This is an RSS feed.

RSS stands for RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. The latter is the most popular descriptive definition. RSS is a feed format that allows blog publishers to share and distribute content to other blogs or individual web surfers. Bloggers use RSS to provide updates in the form of blog posts. If a blog publishes RSS content commonly known as RSS feed, this feed will include summaries of all the entries posted on that blog. RSS is written in the Internet coding language XML, thus some buttons are labeled as such.

The first part of an RSS feed is a descriptive detail about the "channel" or the source that is publishing the content. The "channel" may include the title of the source, a short description, its blog address, date the information was last updated, name and e-mail address of the blog author. The second part is the list of items. Each "item" represents one published piece of content. Each "item" includes the headline of the entry (title), a two to three sentence summary of the entry (description) and the URL address to read the full entry.

RSS feeds are meant to be read by a software or web-based application known as a feed reader. Feed readers understand the data contained in RSS feeds and translates these data and make available to Internet users or customized blogs,

Subscribing to RSS Feeds

To receive updates or view RSS feeds, you will need a feed reader. A feed reader is an application that allows you to subscribe (add a feed) to a blog and receive quick summaries when that blog is updated. This application is also referred to as RSS reader, news aggregator, news reader or feed aggregator. When you subscribe to RSS feeds, the feed reader collect from different blogs and organize them in a convenient place for you to read rather than you visiting individual blogs looking for new content. Whenever new content is posted from one of the feeds you are subscribed to, the feed reader displays the new headlines. You can go over the headlines and if one is particularly interesting, you can click the headline and you will be brought to the original source where you can read the entire content.

There are primarily two versions of feed readers - web-based and stand-alone applications. Web-based or online feed readers provide a quick start for RSS subscriptions. They let you read your RSS feeds from any computer. Some of these readers are free while others with advanced features are offered at a cost. Some examples of web-based feed readers are Google Reader, My Yahoo and Bloglines. Stand-alone or downloadable feed readers are applications that you install on your main computer just like the Microsoft Outlook e-mail program. These feed readers are usually run in the background. A sound or pop-up window notifies you of any updates. SharpReader is a free feed reader for Windows. For Mac users, a preferred feed reader is NetNewsWire.

Once you have a feed reader, you can choose what you want to receive in your feed reader. You can also add feeds through the RSS buttons of your favorite blogs. Clicking on the RSS orange icon, you can subscribe to the feed by dragging the URL of the RSS feed into your feed reader or by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed in your feed reader. Most blogs offer RSS feeds using the orange RSS, XML button. Conversely, you can also create your own RSS feed.

Creating an RSS Feed

You can also create you own feeds. It is a pretty easy task. The hard part is creating the content itself. The feed part is usually just using the standard RSS format that notifies the feed reader which sections of your blog entry relates to the RSS title, description, date, link and other pertinent data. This is done using XML format, the standard method of surrounding the significant parts of the content with tags that the feed reader understands. Once content has been set up with an RSS feed, then it is ready for the reading public.

Publishing an RSS Feed

You can add RSS syndication as a publishing option in your blog. In some cases, this is done automatically, without you having to set up anything. If you are using a blogging tool software like Blogger, TypePad or WordPress, publishing a feed is one of their built-in features plus some other feed-related options. Other types of feed readers may require programming skills to add RSS syndication. Once you have created an RSS feed with your blogging software, pipe it through your feed reader and voila, a whole stream of benefits awaits you.

Benefiting from RSS

The most compelling use of RSS is that it lets you take hold of information you are interested in and have it updated for you in one place where you can read it within the shortest possible time. RSS has been embraced by individual users, blog publishers and businesses as well.

For individual users, RSS feeds keep them updated on news, information and blog posts. There is no need to visit numerous blogs. There is no deluge of e-mail newsletters that clutter the mailbox. Unlike e-mail, there is no spam. Opting out can be done anytime and there is no need to give any contact information to subscribe to a feed. An individual user can also customize content that comes to him and ignore blog entries that are of no interest to him. There is absolutely no need to check back for new postings as the feed reader delivers content to him.

For blog publishers, RSS permits quick distribution of new blog entries to individual users in a convenient way. RSS feeds when incorporated into a blog offers a more personalized and interactive user experience, strengthening blog presence and maximizing revenue opportunities.

For businesses, RSS feeds enable them to do without regularly checking blogs for important updates or plowing through a pile of e-mail distribution lists. RSS provides businesses with much-needed fresh information. RSS feeds are extremely helpful for brand marketing, customer service, internal and external communications and competitive awareness.

In a nutshell, if you want to be informed of the latest news and happenings around the world and is having a hard time managing information overload, RSS is the answer.

Hopefully, these basics can help you get started with RSS. It may be difficult to understand at first, but once you get the gist of it, surfing the web will be effortless with RSS.

Basics of RSS

You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS?

RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers.

1. It gives you the latest updates.

Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2. It saves on surfing time.

Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user's time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3. It gives the power of subscription to the user.

Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4. It lessens the clutter in your inbox.

Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5. It is spam free.

Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6. Unsubscribing is hassle-free. Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7. It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool.

Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS?

The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns.

1. Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

2. Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds. For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3. The identity of the source website can be confusing.

Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.

4. Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.

5. RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server.

Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6. Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS?

There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1. Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly

2. Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3. Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing
. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

What is an RSS Feed?

A lot of sites have them, but you don't know what they are. It is an intriguing little button right on the Web page, and it is full of mystery. Just what is an RSS feed?

Defining RSS

Many Web sites out there offer RSS feeds. You click, you receive - it's just that simple. But just what are you getting into with that innocuous mouse button of yours? What in the world is an RSS feed in the first place?

Technically, RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and it only exists online. Imagine a Web site with a whole lot of content (text). Perhaps it's a news site, or a very popular blog on the Internet. This site then takes that content and syndicates it. With the RSS feed, any user on the Internet can receive this syndicated content. It is sort of like buying a subscription to the newspaper. You order the paper and suddenly, it starts to appear on your doorstep. An RSS feed is the exact same thing - but the "newspaper" appears right on your computer.

Why Use an RSS Feed?

Okay, so why do you need an RSS feed when your email inbox is already full of junk mail? RSS feeds are not advertisements but actual content: news, information, blog posts and articles. The best thing about RSS feeds is that they're not random. You have to subscribe or sign up in order to receive an RSS feed. Sometimes, the local paper may deliver free copies to try and get you interested in their service. RSS feeds will not do that - you won't receive an unsolicited RSS feed, because in the majority of cases the service is always free.

When you have an RSS feed, you save yourself the time and trouble of searching the Internet for the information that's pertinent to you. Suppose you get online every day to check major news headlines, entertainment information, etc. With an RSS feed, all you have to do is get on the computer and you don't have to search out anything - the feed you subscribe to is already there, and available.

There is another factor when considering RSS feeds. In almost all cases, sites providing RSS feeds want you to use them as much as possible. It's perfectly acceptable for you to put an RSS feed on your own Web site, thus getting daily content where your visitors can access it, too. You can stay up on business news, what's happening on Wall Street, politics, whatever you own personal interests are, and you can make the same information available to your own Web traffic. This is why RSS feeds are so popular, and also why so many sites offer RSS feeds completely free of charge.

Offering an RSS Feed

Does your site have a lot of regularly-updated content? A popular blog or newsletter, perhaps? You might even consider offering an RSS feed to your own Web users. The RSS feed puts your Web site's name out there in a bold way. The more subscribers who have to your feed, the more marketing you get. Those same subscribers might be sharing their feeds with others, who might share that feed you get the point. Word-of-mouth spreads about your site, your content becomes more popular, and suddenly business is improved. This is of course a good-case scenario, but in truth there aren't too many negatives associated with offering an RSS feed.

If you've got content to provide, there's no reason not to offer an RSS feed. In a worst-case scenario, no one will subscribe to the feed. It takes up very little space on the Web page, and if no one subscribes then your business will pretty much remain the same. If they do subscribe, it might improve, but it certainly won't fail if the RSS feed fails to gain attention and acclaim.

Creating an RSS Feed

So, how do you go about putting the RSS feed on your own site? If you know how to write code, it is easily done when you edit a page on your Web site. There are online tutorials which can walk you through the process. If you'd rather leave it in the hands of a professional, talk to a Web designer about creating an RSS feed and finding the best way to market this service online. Web designers can help you take care of this and other details when it comes to creating an RSS feed on your own site.

A lot of sites have them, but you don't know what they are. It is an intriguing little button right on the Web page, and it is full of mystery. Just what is an RSS feed?

Defining RSS

Many Web sites out there offer RSS feeds. You click, you receive - it's just that simple. But just what are you getting into with that innocuous mouse button of yours? What in the world is an RSS feed in the first place?

Technically, RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and it only exists online. Imagine a Web site with a whole lot of content (text). Perhaps it's a news site, or a very popular blog on the Internet. This site then takes that content and syndicates it. With the RSS feed, any user on the Internet can receive this syndicated content. It is sort of like buying a subscription to the newspaper. You order the paper and suddenly, it starts to appear on your doorstep. An RSS feed is the exact same thing - but the "newspaper" appears right on your computer.

Why Use an RSS Feed?

Okay, so why do you need an RSS feed when your email inbox is already full of junk mail? RSS feeds are not advertisements but actual content: news, information, blog posts and articles. The best thing about RSS feeds is that they're not random. You have to subscribe or sign up in order to receive an RSS feed. Sometimes, the local paper may deliver free copies to try and get you interested in their service. RSS feeds will not do that - you won't receive an unsolicited RSS feed, because in the majority of cases the service is always free.

When you have an RSS feed, you save yourself the time and trouble of searching the Internet for the information that's pertinent to you. Suppose you get online every day to check major news headlines, entertainment information, etc. With an RSS feed, all you have to do is get on the computer and you don't have to search out anything - the feed you subscribe to is already there, and available.

There is another factor when considering RSS feeds. In almost all cases, sites providing RSS feeds want you to use them as much as possible. It's perfectly acceptable for you to put an RSS feed on your own Web site, thus getting daily content where your visitors can access it, too. You can stay up on business news, what's happening on Wall Street, politics, whatever you own personal interests are, and you can make the same information available to your own Web traffic. This is why RSS feeds are so popular, and also why so many sites offer RSS feeds completely free of charge.

Offering an RSS Feed

Does your site have a lot of regularly-updated content? A popular blog or newsletter, perhaps? You might even consider offering an RSS feed to your own Web users. The RSS feed puts your Web site's name out there in a bold way. The more subscribers who have to your feed, the more marketing you get. Those same subscribers might be sharing their feeds with others, who might share that feed you get the point. Word-of-mouth spreads about your site, your content becomes more popular, and suddenly business is improved. This is of course a good-case scenario, but in truth there aren't too many negatives associated with offering an RSS feed.

If you've got content to provide, there's no reason not to offer an RSS feed. In a worst-case scenario, no one will subscribe to the feed. It takes up very little space on the Web page, and if no one subscribes then your business will pretty much remain the same. If they do subscribe, it might improve, but it certainly won't fail if the RSS feed fails to gain attention and acclaim.

Creating an RSS Feed

So, how do you go about putting the RSS feed on your own site? If you know how to write code, it is easily done when you edit a page on your Web site. There are online tutorials which can walk you through the process. If you'd rather leave it in the hands of a professional, talk to a Web designer about creating an RSS feed and finding the best way to market this service online. Web designers can help you take care of this and other details when it comes to creating an RSS feed on your own site.

Making an RSS Feed

What Is RSS?

How does RSS syndication work? Say you publish a new web page about a particular topic. You want others interested in that topic to know about it. By listing the page as an "item" in your RSS file, you can have the page appear in front of those who read information using RSS readers or "news aggregators" (explained more in my sidebar article, RSS: Your Gateway To News & Blog Content). RSS also allows people to easily add links to your content within their own web pages. Bloggers are a huge core audience that especially does this.

What does RSS stand for? There's a can of worms. RSS as introduced by Netscape in 1999 then later abandoned in 2001 stood for "Rich Site Summary." Another version of RSS pioneered by UserLand Software stands for "Really Simple Syndication." In yet another version, RSS stands for "RDF Site Summary."

History buffs might be interested that there's been some rivalry over who invented RSS. This is why we have both different names and indeed different "flavors" or versions of RSS. Mark Pilgrim's written an excellent article, What Is RSS, that charts the different versions with recommendations on which to use. I'll also revisit the version choice you'll need to make. But first, let's look more closely at some basics of what goes into any RSS file.

How Easy Is RSS?

I've been exploring RSS because it was time that Search Engine Watch offered its own stories in this manner. I've read several tutorials about making a feed, and they generally suggest that it is easy. They often offer code that you can "cut-and-paste" and link over to specifications that I actually don't find that clear.

For example, the RSS 2.0 specification has an "cloud" element that's optional but which a lay person might still wonder if they should use it. Meanwhile, heaven help the person who stumbles into the RSS 1.0 specification and its complicated RDF syntax.

Sure, making an RSS file IS easy for many. If you understand HTML, you'll probably understand enough to do a cut-and-paste from someone else's RSS file to make your own file. Don't know HTML? Start a blog, because several blogging tools automatically generates RSS files.

As for those non-technical people using WYSIWYG page building tools or personal home page building systems, have faith. Even you can build an RSS file from scratch, as long as you dispense with some of the extra features you probably don't need. We'll go through how to do this below. Later, I'll also mention some tools that will even do some or all of the work for you.

The RSS File

At the heart of an RSS file are "items." No matter what version of RSS you settle on, your file will have to include at least one item. Items are generally web pages that you'd like others to link to. For example, let's say you just created a web page reviewing a new cell phone that's being released. Information about that page would form an item.

To enter your item into the RSS file, you'll need three bits of information:

* Title

* Description

* Link

The title and description of your item need not match exactly the HTML title tag of the web page that the item refers to, nor the meta description tag, assuming you use these (don't know what they are? See my How To Use HTML Tags article). You can write any title and description that you think will describe the page. However, using your page's title and meta description tag certainly makes it easy to copy and paste to build your RSS feed.

In the case of our example page, let's say this is the information we settle on to define it as an item:

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/nokia3650.html

Now we have to surround that information with XML tags. These are similar to HTML tags, with the exception that unlike with HTML, there's no set definition of XML tags. Anyone can make up a particular XML tag. Whether it is useful depends on the program that reads the resulting XML file. In the case of RSS feeds, they have their own unique set of XML tags that are defined. Use these correctly, and then anything that reads RSS will understand your information.

Did that make your head spin? If so, don't reread -- just carry on to see how simple it is. First, open a text editor like Notepad. We're going to build our RSS file using it.

For your title, you need to start it with the tag, then follow this with the text of the title, then end with the tag. It looks like this:

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

For your description, you do the same, starting out with the opening tag, then following with the actual description, then "closing" with the tag. Now you have this:

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

Next, we add the link information, beginning with , following with the actual hyperlink, then closing with . That gives us this:

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/nokia3650.html

Now there's one more thing we need to do. We actually have to define all this information as forming a particular "item," which we do using a special item tag.

You place the opening item tag, at the top or start of all the information we've listed. You then place the closing item tag, , at the bottom or "end" of the item information. The finished product looks like this:

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/nokia3650.html

Congratulations! You've now made your first item. There's a bit more to do to finish our RSS file. First, what if we have other items we want to syndicate? Then we simply add more item elements, just as we did above. You can have up to 15 items. New items tend to be inserted at the top, with old items removed from the bottom, to make room for new stuff.

With our example, let's see how things look if we add two more items:

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/nokia3650.html

Sanyo Tablet PC Amazes!

I was dubious about the new Tablet PCs, but then I saw the latest from Sanyo. Wow, cool looks and it works!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/sanyotablet.html

Canon MegaTiny Digital Camera Too Small

OK, there is a limit to just how small is too small. Canon's MetaTiny, no larger than a quarter, simply is too little to use properly

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/metatiny.html

Having defined items we want to distribute, we now have to define our site as a "channel." You'll use the same tags as with the items: title, description and link. However, this time the information will be about your entire site, rather than a particular page. That means our channel information would look like this:

All Gadgets Reviewed

If it's a gadget, we review it. Learn what gadgets are hot and what's not!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com

Now, how does something reading our RSS file know that the information above is for our "channel" when it looks just like item information? Simple. As long as we don't surround this information with an opening and closing tags, it won't be seen as item information but rather as channel information. That gives us this:

All Gadgets Reviewed

If it's a gadget, we review it. Learn what gadgets are hot and what's not!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/nokia3650.html

Sanyo Tablet PC Amazes!

I was dubious about the new Tablet PCs, but then I saw the latest from Sanyo. Wow, cool looks and it works!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/sanyotablet.html

Canon MegaTiny Digital Camera Too Small

OK, there is a limit to just how small is too small. Canon's MetaTiny, no larger than a quarter, simply is too little to use properly

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/metatiny.html

There are a few last things we need to do. First, we need to add a tag at the very top of the file saying that this is written according to the XML 1.0 specifications. Right under this, we also have to say what RSS version we are using.

So far, everything we've done is compatible with UserLand's popular RSS 0.91 version. However, it also matches UserLand's latest RSS 2.0 version, as well, so we'll define the file as meeting that specification. This will allow us to add other neat features in the future, if we want.

Finally, after the RSS tag, we need to add an opening "channel" tag. That gives us this at the top of the file:

At the bottom of the file, after all the items we want to syndicate, we have to insert a closing channel and RSS tag, in that order. Those look like this:

This means our complete file looks like this:

All Gadgets Reviewed

If it's a gadget, we review it. Learn what gadgets are hot and what's not!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com

Nokia 3650 Combines Phone And Photos

I've been playing with the new Nokia 3650. Finally, someone has got the combination of a cell phone with digital camera capabilities right!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/nokia3650.html

Sanyo Tablet PC Amazes!

I was dubious about the new Tablet PCs, but then I saw the latest from Sanyo. Wow, cool looks and it works!

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/sanyotablet.html

Canon MegaTiny Digital Camera Too Small

OK, there is a limit to just how small is too small. Canon's MetaTiny, no larger than a quarter, simply is too little to use properly

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/metatiny.html

Mind Blowing Options

Everything shown above is the bare basics you need to create a file and start syndicating content from your web site. However, there are additional things you could do.

For example, rather than your entire web site being a "channel," you could actually have different content from within the web site be defined into separate channels. That's something I'm not going to explore in this article, but some of the resources below will guide you through this, when you feel more comfortable.

As hinted at, RSS 2.0 allows you to insert all types of additional information into your feed. It can make your head spin to look at these and decide what to use. The easy answer is, don't bother with anything you don't know. Not every aggregator supports all the options offered. As long as you provide the minimum information suggested above, you should be fine.

Did I Choose The Right RSS Version?

Earlier, I'd mentioned there are different versions of RSS. Even though we entered the bare minimum of information, it turned out that we were able to have a file that was easily considered to be RSS 2.0, the latest version promoted by UserLand and which is widely used.

Indeed, the Syndic8 site reports that the most popular format of RSS by far is RSS 0.91 -- and though we've used RSS 2.0, our file as shown is entirely compatible with RSS 0.91. In short, we're in safe company.

What about that RSS 1.0 version that I said was complicated. Well, it is complicated. However, some people might want to make use of some of the special capabilities that it offers. If you are interested in it, then check out the official specification.

Saving The File

Now that we're done adding to the file, we need to save it. But what name shall we give it? I've looked and not seen any guidance on this. I imagine that's because as long as the file is valid (more below), it probably doesn't matter what it's called.

To make my own decision for Search Engine Watch, I decided to imitate what I saw out at UserLand, which promotes the RSS 2.0 standard that we used. UserLand's example feeds all ended .xml, so let's do the same. As for the first part, that really can be whatever you like. For our example, let's say we just call it feed.xml.

Now that our file is saved, we can place it anywhere we want on our web server. Let's say we put it in the root or home directory. Then the address to our RSS file would be:

http://allgadgetsreviewed.com/feed.xml

Validating The File

Now our RSS file is done, but did we do it right? To find out, we need to validate it. Use the aptly named Feed Validator service. Simply enter the address to your RSS file, and you'll be told if everything is OK -- or if there's something wrong you need to fix.

How about a quick preview of how your new feed actually looks? Then pay a visit to Wytheville Community College News Center. Again, enter your feed URL, and you'll see the clickable headlines and story descriptions nicely assembled inside a box.

The service will also generate a JavaScript code that you can post on your site. Anyone copying the JavaScript can automatically have your feed syndicated into their pages -- pretty neat!

Get Syndicated!

Now that your file is validated, you want the world to know about it! To make this happen, visit the RSS directories and search engines listed in the RSS: Your Gateway To News & Blog Content article. They generally offer submission pages, where you can inform them of your feed.

You also want to make sure people who come to your web site see that you provide a feed. It's very common to post a link to the feed somewhere on the home page of a web site. If you have a dedicated news page, you may want to put it there, as well.

You can link to your feed with an ordinary HTML link. However, many sites use a small orange XML icon to link to the feed. I've also seen some sites use blue RSS icon. I could find no standard about using these. So, to be safe, I did all three with Search Engine Watch. Look on the home page, and you'll see how it's done (and help yourself to the icons, if you need them).

Finally, it's good to "ping" one of the major services that track when web logs and RSS content changes. By doing this, you ensure that other sites that monitor these know to check back at your site for more content.

Weblogs.com is one of these major sites. Enter your site's name and the URL of your feed into the manual Ping-Site Form, and it will know you've updated your feed. The Specs page explains how to set up automatic notification.

blo.gs is another major change monitoring site. It is supposed to receive any changes that come from Weblogs.com, so you shouldn't need to notify it separately. However, if you want to be on the safe side, it's easily done. Use the ping form, which also explains how to set up automatic pinging, as well.

Tutorials & Resources

RSS Headline Creator allows you to skip coding and manually choose the number of headlines you'd like to include in your file, up to the 15 maximum allowed. Then a form with boxes that you fill out will be made. Enter the right information, then push the "Make The Code" button. Your RSS file's code will be generated, for you to copy and paste into a text editor and save.

How To Get Your Web Site Content Syndicated is a Dec. 2002 tutorial by Kalena Jordan and Dan Thies from which I drew inspiration to get my own feed going.

Syndic8's How To Section lists a variety of tutorials that discuss how to build RSS files.

Content Syndication with RSS is a book by Ben Hammersley that was just released in March 2003. I haven't read it, but everything I've heard is that it should be excellent.

RSS Resources Directory from UserLand categorizes helpful information related to RSS, in different categories.

Postscript: Search Types: Blogs & Feeds and SEO: Feeds are sections of the Search Topics area available to Search Engine Watch members with lots of information on the topic of feeds since this article was originally written.

Taking the Easier Route to Generating RSS Subscribers

RSS is certainly still far from being user-friendly, which is especially evident once you try and left-click on an RSS subscribe button.

In most cases your browser will simply display the XML code of the RSS feed ... which does not go far in making internet users comftorable with RSS.

Heck, if you didn't know what RSS was and clicked on an RSS button only to get a page full of code you don't understand, would that aid in turning you in to an RSS user?

Probably no. And much worse, you'd probably never consider clicking on one of those buttons again, at least not any time soon.

Consequently, if as a marketer you're trying to generate RSS subscribers, simply using an RSS subscribe button is the worst way to go for you and for the RSS industry as a whole as well.

So, what alternatives are there?

a] CREATE AN RSS PRESENTATION PAGE

If you're trying to generate RSS subscribers from your site and are targeting audiences that might not be farmiliar with RSS, you need at least a basic presentation of what RSS is on your site, and you need to link to that either directly from the RSS subscribe button or from a location right next to that button, like you can see on the MarketingStudies.net example.

On this page you should explain in easy-to-understand terms what RSS is, how your visitors can use it and how they'll benefit, and then provide links to some RSS readers and again links to your RSS feeds.

This page will be instrumental in telling your visitors about RSS and helping them subscribe to your feeds.

And of course, the feeds themselves and the RSS presentation page should be promoted in prominent locations on your website, especially directly below your e-mail e-zine subscription box and, if you're publishing topic oriented feeds, next to their respective topics on the site, just as Lockergnome.com is doing.

B] TRANSFORM AN RSS FEED IN TO XHTML

Having a link to an RSS presentation page right next to your RSS subscribe button does aid visitors in learning about RSS and helps them to subscribe, but it still doesn't solve the problem of a user actually clicking on an RSS feed button. That will still result in the visitor getting heaps of code he really won't know what to do with.

Going one step further, you can use XSL Transformations to make sure that the feed can in fact also be displayed in a browser (without making it useless for an RSS reader as well) ... and that with some additional information and instructions, such as a brief overview of RSS and a quick explanation on how the user can subscribe to this feed via an RSS reader.

I don't want to get technical here, so to see what I mean simply click on this link (via FeedBurner): http://feeds.feedburner.com/BurnThisRSS2

This is basically an RSS feed, which has been transformed in order to be displayed in a Web browser with some additional information, but can still be subscribed to via every RSS reader as well.

Some feed maintanance and publishing services such as FeedBurner already provide this functionality "out-of-the-box", without you having to do practically anything. All you need to do is register for their free service, enter your feed and then get this link, which you will place "behind" the RSS subscribe button on your site, as a link, instead of a direct link to your RSS feed.

If you don't want to use a third-party service like FeedBurner, you can actually do the XSL Transformations by yourself. More information on how to do this is available at Wikiedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xslt).

c] TAKING THE MIDDLE ROAD: SMARTER SUBSCRIBE BUTTONS If you don't want to use a third-party service such as FeedBurner or if your RSS vendor does not provide this functionality or if you don't want to be bothered with doing XSLT by yourself, there is actually an alternative you can use.

David Battino at MacDevCenter.com (http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/wlg/7821) just wrote a simple piece of code you can use instead of the typical link to your RSS feed behind the RSS feed subscription button, which will, after you click on the link, display a simple message saying that in order to subscribe to the feed you need to copy and paste this URL in your your RSS reader.

This certainly doesn't go very far in making RSS more user-friendly, as the notification really can't be used to explain what RSS is and why your visitors should use it, but it at least saves the visitor from getting the XML code in his browser and hating RSS before he or she even find out what it is.

The simple code to do so is http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/wlg/7821

Also, do not forget about using buttons like Add To MyYahoo!, since many MyYahoo! users for example don't know what RSS is, but they will use this button to subscribe.

d] TARGETING EXISTING RSS USERS

If you're targeting existing RSS users or at least users that won't be put off by a long list of names they won't be able to understand, using the free script from Methodize.org might be the solution.

When the user hovers his mouse above your RSS feed subscribe button, the script will display a long list of RSS readers that the visitors can use to directly subscribe to the feed. By simply clicking on the appropriate link, the user will quickly subscribe to the feed with the RSS reader he is currently using.

There's also a "What's this" link at the bottom of the list, but still many visitors will be put off by long list of RSS reader names they won't be able to understand, before even being motivated enough to click on the "What's this" link at the bottom.

But still, if you're targeting a more technical or internet oriented audiences, this just might do the trick.

The script is available from here: http://www.methodize.org/quicksub/

e] USING RSS AUTODISCOVERY

RSS Autodiscovery is a very nice feature that allows certain RSS Autodiscovery-enabled browsers to find a feed on your site and promptly offer the subscribe option to the visitor.

While most browsers still do not support this, FireFox for example does.

Using RSS Autodiscovery can't substitute the other options above, but it will serve you well for the small part of your audience that's using RSS Autodiscovery-enabled browsers.

How to use this?

Simply place the following piece of code in to the HEAD section of the HTML code of your webpages:

[link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://rssdiary.marketingstudies.net/index.xml" /]

And don't forget to replace the [ and ] characters with < and >.

f] STRONG COPY

No matter how many times we write this, it still needs repeating. The best way to get your visitors to subscribe is to entice them to do so with strong copy that provides clear and valuable benefits, explaining to the visitor exactly why he needs to subscribe to exactly your RSS feed.

Create RSS Feed and Promote RSS Feeds

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication as it is commonly known, is a technology that gives webmasters the ability to easily distribute and publish syndicated content on the Internet. It seems like all Internet businesses now have RSS feeds available; at least your competitors do. You have finally made the decision that you have to have one. Where do you start?

Steps to Creating an RSS feed

1.) Build a Feed

There are a number of desktop and web applications available that make feed creation easy. I would encourage anyone creating a feed to use one. Though not overly complicated, hand-coding an RSS feed can become a bit confusing and time-consuming. Most desktop software applications for building a feed include a wizard and contact-sensitive help, simplifying the process of creating a feed. Following a few simple steps in a wizard generally will produce an RSS feed in just a few minutes.

Publishers control what information is syndicated in the RSS feed, so ultimately it is the publisher's decision as to whether to include teaser copy or full articles. Consider what you are trying to accomplish and who your target audience is when building the feed.

Software to Build a Feed - http://www.feedforall.com

Tutorial for Creating Feed by Hand using XML - http://www.make-rss-feeds.com

2.) Transfer the Feed Onto Your Server

Once you have constructed an RSS feed you will need to transfer the feed to your server. This can be done using a standard FTP client (if it is not built into the feed creation software). The feed is usually placed in the domain's root directory like this: http://www.mydomain.com/nameoffeed.xml , but as long as you know where it is it doesn't really matter.

3.) Display the Feed on Your Website Using a Graphic of Some Sort

In order to signal to website visitors that an RSS feed containing content related to the website is available, include a colorful graphic on the website. It has become a standard that nearly all websites that have RSS feeds available use colorful graphics such as flags as indicators that RSS feeds are available for specific content. The flags were initially bright orange rectangles but as the popularity has grown, webmasters have bent the rules a bit. NotePage has made a free online RSS graphic tool available that allows users to quickly customize buttons by selecting the text on the button and the color scheme of the button. Once the color and text is entered, a custom graphic is instantly created. Webmasters can easily match the style of the RSS button to a website's theme. Graphics experience is not required. Simply select alternative colors and insert text to personalize RSS feed graphics. The RSS graphics tool can be used by clicking the following URL http://www.feedforall.com/public/rss-graphic-tool.htm or choose ready made graphics fom: http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-graphics.htm .

4.) Include Information in the HTML of the Web Page So RSS Readers Auto-Detect Your Feed

After publishing an RSS feed it is important to let visitors know that the feed exists. Aggregators will automatically detect RSS on a website if you add a small bit of code in the header field of an HTML page.

[link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.yourdomain.com/rss.xml"]

Be sure to replace http://www.yourdomain.com/rss.xml with the URL to the RSS feed and replace the brackets with "" greater than symbols.

5.) Display the Feed's Content on a Website

Contents contained in an RSS feed can be added to a website, providing site visitors an alternative method for viewing the content. The information will also help increase search engine interest. Displaying the feed as HTML can be accomplished. Providing fresh content on a regular basis will encourage site visitors return.

Tutorial for Displaying Feeds - http://www.small-business-software.net/display-rss.htm

6.) Submit the Feed to RSS Directories and Search Engines

As a rapidly increasing number of content sources, new and old, migrate or add RSS as a key distribution channel, and as more people utilize RSS newsreaders and aggregators to keep themselves informed, the ability to maintain high exposure and visibility is gradually shifted from complete attention to major search engines and content optimization techniques to an increasing awareness of RSS feed directories and search tools.

In order to increase exposure of an RSS feed it should be submitted to RSS search engines and directories. This can be done manually. Just as you would submit the URL of a website or web page to a search engine you will need to submit the link of the actual feed located on your website to the RSS directories. There is a large list of RSS directories at http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-submission.htm . If you prefer to automate the submission process try RSS Submit at: http://www.dummysoftware.com/rsssubmit.html . An evaluation version is available.

Web Traffic - Feed News Rss Video - Using Rss to Expand your Pagerank and Traffic

Some popular searches are about: "feed image news reuters top" ,"xml news feed", "music news feed" and "xml feed".

But what are these Feeds any way? Read on to find out...

Can A Ping Really Help Your Blog Get Top Search Engine Rankings?

According to a report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 5% (6 million) Americans online consume news and information through RSS aggregators. So the market is already out there!
But what are RSS Feeds?

There are millions of dollars and thousand hours spent every day trying to Maximize website traffic, by both moral and amoral means. There is so much requirement for traffic solutions that people will go to any lengths to get ranked higher in the search engines. But did you know that you could Upgrade your traffic by about 20% right now, with virtually no effort?

Most times when you hear something like this I suppose that you turn tail and run as it will normally lead to your site s ranking demise. This particular technique of boosting traffic, however, is not a scam; it s not an dishonest ploy; it is a genuine algorithm of increasing traffic via a future internet typical. The purpose that you can Expand your traffic so vastly is because you are getting in on the ground floor of a new mechanism which will arise the internet and the way that traffic is distributed.

If you are adding RSS to your website for SEO, there is one important rule that must be followed: DON'T USE JAVASCRIPT! Javascript solutions are common and easy to implement. However, the javascript content won't be indexed by the search engines and your page will not get SEO benefits from the feeds. ASP, PHP, and HTML alternatives for RSS are readily available.

The simple RSS explanation from the marketing point of view is that RSS is a simple to use publishing tool for marketers and publisher. It allows you to get your content delivered to end-users, without the fear of spam filters stoping your messages, and to other "content consumers" (other websites, search engines and so on).

For the website owner using RSS to deliver their content nullifies any lingering doubts about whether their content is actually getting through to the visitor, which is an issue to consider when using traditional newsletter marketing.

To sense what we re about to tell you, you need to conceive what an RSS feed is. Put alone, it s a defined format so that sharing your content on the spot with users and other websites. People can directly get access to teasers so that your existent newsletters, articles, blogs, content and more, and click through to see the full version. But RSS is not only about text. You can easily use it to deliver audio content, video content and even PowerPoint presentations and PDF files. This structure of distributing your information is very helpful cause it basically generates dynamic newsletters apparently spamming and without causing your visitor any sore at all. Certainly, lots users find RSS to be their preferred way to hear about updates as RSS is so fast, user-friendly, and (most importantly) high-powered.

RSS feeds are continually used by news sites or blogs, as the content changes often enough to make it appraised while. By using a great deal targeted RSS feeds, you can rebuild your site's web content besides having to assemble it on your own if someone offers you an RSS feed of their site, you can attach it to your site smoothly. This supplys you with a enjoyable content base which will retain visitors coming back. Using RSS will increase relevance and maximize freshness. RSS newsfeeds provide a variety of opportunities for increasing traffic to your website. The more news that people associate your site with the more worthy they consider your site.

The more essential they consider your site, the more arrogant search engines will consider your site. Providing RSS yourself will get lots of people to link to you and so potentially re-create your search engine rankings. Why?

1. RSS feeds can present delightful, proper content for your website there are plenty of RSS publishers with themed content so that you to choose from. These a great deal-targeted feeds will whenever you wish bear your keywords, and so Upgrowth the keyword relevancy of your website. This helps even more than you may think as the key words will be within link or anchor tags. Search engines appraise anchor tags hardly as much (if not more than) header tags (h1-h6).

2. RSS feeds can present new, fresh content. When new content is added to them, the old content drops off, making sure that your website s content doesn t go stale. Most of your visitors will not visit your site if they find that there is nothing new between the first and second time that they visit it. If you want to abstain your visitors where they belong, you have to have a respected selection of content that is updated on a regular basis.

3. RSS feeds can get search engines to crawl your site more often enough daily in some cases. This helps your site to rank higher in the search engines, and gives you an advance over your competition. Your RSS feed can do your SEO work for you.

Some other RSS Features are:

1. Microsoft is integrating RSS support in the next version of its Internet Explorer and is making RSS an integral part of its long-awaited Longhorn operating system.

2. Feeds are an increasingly popular way to save time, search and surf. If your content is valuable and interesting people will subscribe to your feed and click thru to those full articles or posts that interest them -- targeted traffic from a group that is relatively affluent and tech savvy.

3. There is no opt-in or opt-out requirement.

4. New content. Updated information.

RSS feeds can be great for getting your newsletter, articles, or blog onto other people's sites, and that s very powerful, as long as you make sure that your RSS feed is adding more to your corporation than it takes. There are many more techniques and opportunities available to you, from "direct subscribe" links to actually using opt-in forms, but these steps above should get you started in the shortest time possible. In some situations, you might find that enclosing RSS on your page makes visitors click away from your site, as they find that site s content more charismatic than you and people who click on RSS links might be less assumably to click on ads. Use care with RSS feeds( ap news feed) , or you could be in for a shock.

Step by Step RSS Feeds for New Users

Okay, you have a website setup to promote your books, music, and other products you wish to sell. With a bit of Internet savvy, you have created an attractive design to catch the Internet user's eyes, and with your expertise on the subject at hand you are able to provide thoughtful, provoking content. You are confident your site is optimized for good search results, with a good saturation of keywords in your content. Your site is simple to navigate, fun to read, and yet informative enough to be highly regarded by engines. You are ready for the world!

Yet, you feel as though what you are doing is not enough. Perhaps you enjoy a steady increase in traffic through traditional online marketing means, occasional tweaking of metadata and e-mail advertising. Offline advertising is not in the budget right now, and you want to try other, cheaper alternative before delving into pay-per-click advertising. What else is there to do?

Have you considered creating an RSS feed for your website? If you are in the business of promoting and selling many products and services, having an RSS feed attached to your website may be beneficial in attracting new visitors to your website. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication, and it is a specific format for aggregating news and information to other websites and Internet users who read news through special aggregators, or readers.

Think of RSS as a distant cousin of the news tickers you see on your favorite 24-hour news or sports network. As new information is made public, the wires pick up the story and syndicate the content to interested third parties seeking information to distribute. An all-sports network, for example, would select only the most recent sports news from various syndicates to put on television. RSS works in a similar way.

Not sure how? Next time you log onto the Internet, take a look at your start up page, if you use My Yahoo or My MSN or anything similar. What do you see? Maybe you have updated news bytes from Associated Press or Reuters, daily comic strips, weather and horoscope, and so on. You know, of course, that such pages can be customized to show only what you want to see. If you're interested only in entertainment news, you would adjust your page so you only receive movie gossip and reviews, and news from the top entertainment magazines, right? All of this information is syndicated, and your start up page acts as an aggregator, collecting only the relevant information you want it to collect and display.

Now, stay with me, because here's the fun part: by creating an RSS feed, you can become a syndicate! Say you are a romance author and offer a series of passionate stories you know romance fans will love. You can create an RSS feed using news about your books and information related to writing, the romance genre, and the publishing industry to create usable content for aggregators. With proper promotion and distribution, users interested in romance novels can either add your feed to their private readers, or even their websites, thereby increasing your exposure. This in turn can increase traffic to your site, and account for more sales!
Sounds like something you want to do to further promote yourself on the Internet? If so, great! But if you are new to the concept of RSS and are not sure how to start, don't fret. Once you learn the basic of creating and promoting an RSS feed, you will find it is as simple as creating a website. Here follows a basic step by step for creating a simple feed. Once you get the hang of RSS content and wish to work with something more advanced, a good instruction manual on Real Simple Syndication can help you achieve much more for your books, music, and products.

For now, though, let's get the basics down pat.

1) Content

Before you even think about messing with RSS software or hand coding the proper markup language, you need to consider carefully the type of content you plan to use for your feed. Syndicated content in this context will differ from standard website content in that it needs to entice readers to click through to your website and buy your books or take advantage of your services. If you give too little, readers may not be interested enough to visit your site. Give too much, and readers may be overwhelmed, or think they don't have to click your links.

Study RSS feeds that typify what you plan to distribute. Especially if you are trying to promote a book, a CD, or other items, you want to look at shopping RSS feeds in particular to see how they are executed. Think of your content as a 30-second commercial: depending upon the types of aggregators used to collect your feed data, users may see only a headline first, so think of one that grab attention. Use easy to understand language in your content: sharp, peppy and to the point. Emphasize the purchase links and any sales or discount incentives.

Some RSS aggregators accept code for images, so take advantage of that. Display your book or CD cover, a picture of your product, or your logo. For readers that don't aggregate images, be sure to use the ALT option and describe the item.

Plan ahead for your feed. An RSS feed should be treated as a regular newswire. So if you feel you do not have enough content to necessitate a regular feed, consider supplemental information related to your site and map out when you plan to add new items to your feed. Once you have a working schedule, now you can into the work of creating your feed and having some real fun!

2) Creation

If you are completely new to the idea of RSS and have only moderate skills where website development is concerned, you can still build an attractive, effective feed for your site. Before you do, bear this one thing in mind:

An RSS feed is a file hosted on your server, identified by either a .rss or .xml suffix rather than the .html extension. Most updates to browsers will allow visitors to see the feed as it is supposed to look should a link to your feed be clicked. Don't panic, however, if somebody clicks on your feed link and claims to see "gibberish." They are likely seeing only the raw code.

Now that you are ready to create a feed, it is highly recommended to use software designed for this purpose. An Internet search for "RSS freeware" or "RSS software" will point you in the right direction. I personally use RSS Builder to create my feeds. It is user friendly and simple to install. As you learn more about RSS, you may want to test a few programs before deciding on one to use regularly.

Choose a name for your feed that is indicative of your products or site. The romance author may want to use romancenovels.rss or romancebooks.rss, while a freelance consultant may want to try consultingnews.rss. There's no guarantee having such a name will boost search referrals, but to have a relevant keyword in the filename may help readers in their search for content to aggregate.

Check your RSS program to see if there are options to input metadata, or your feed's description. This is important, as the metadata in a published feed helps RSS spiders determine the relevancy of your feed against various searches. As the Internet grows, so does the ability for search engines to mine things like blogs and feeds for data, so you want to be thorough in this respect. If the metadata options ask for a URL and an image logo, provide them.

Now, depending upon your program, you have the options to add and delete topics, set times for their publication, and to order them by appearance. This is the heart of the feed, where the information goes. If you approach this part of RSS creation as would with a weblog, you will find it remarkably simple.

Each topic is a new post. Depending upon the volume of news you wish to distribute, you can create new topics daily or several in a day. Don't give away too much information in your posts. Enticing text should prompt readers to click through to your main site, where the action (and point of sale) is. Use keyword rich text to attract those spiders that mine data from RSS. As your catalog grows, as you write more books or take on new projects, you will have more material for your feed.

3) Distribution

Once you have a few entries in your feed, now you can upload your RSS file for readership and distribution. Depending upon the RSS building software you are using, you may be able to upload directly to your site using the software. Otherwise you may need to use an FTP program to do this.

Make sure you know your ID and password for your website, and make sure the file for the feed is correctly named with the .rss or .xml extension. Once it's live on your site, check the file in an RSS aggregator or in a web browser that reads RSS to make sure it is working to your satisfaction. If so, congratulations! You have just published an RSS feed.

But, you are not finished yet. In order to help site visitors know that you have a feed you need to do things. First, you need to place links on your website indicating that you have a feed. You would do this the same way you would create a hyperlink to another URL. In the HREF anchor tag, indicate the full URL of your feed with a note saying "Subscribe to our RSS feed." You may also want to use a small graphic to bring attention to your feed. Many sites use a small, orange rectangle with RSS or XML in white letters, to direct visitors to feeds.

To direct RSS aggregators and spiders to your feed, you will need to place a LINK REL tag in the HEAD section of your HTML code. It will look like this (just places carats before and after the tag):

link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="Your RSS URL goes here"

This lets the spider know there is RSS content available.

4) Promote

Once your feed is active, you can actively promote it. A quick Internet search for "RSS Search Engines" will led you to many resources where you can submit your feed information. You would submit your feed the same way you would submit a website, just make sure to provide all necessary information.

In addition, you may want to consider some viral marketing of your feed. Include the feed URL in your e-mail signature, or contact other websites of relevant topics and let them know you have content for distribution in RSS. Websites similar to yours looking for material may wish to aggregate your feed and place the content on their sites. You, in turn, get free exposure and increase your chance for sales.

5) Ping

If you know where to look, there are websites and software available designed to notify, or "ping," RSS directories and search engines when a feed is updated. This is believed to expedite the updating process on their end. The sooner they know new information is available, the sooner they will mine your feed for data. A quick Internet search for "RSS pinger" will lead you information on how to regularly notify users of updates to your feed. Some sources will let you notify several engines at once, and it can be a helpful tool in your promotion.

From writing content to publicizing your products, using RSS feeds to enhance your website can be very helpful in increasing exposure to your books and music, services and products. Syndicate your content and watch your site traffic, and sales, grow.

RSS Usability Problems And Solutions

RSS is a family of web-feed formats that is used for web syndication. It can also be used by news websites, weblogs and podcasting, among others. The acronym can refer to various standards such as Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0), Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91 and RSS 1.0) and the RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and RSS 1.0)

RSS Backgrounder

Several similar formats already existed for syndication before RSS, but none was able to achieve widespread popularity or are still in common use today like it. This is primarily due to the fact that most were envisioned to work only within a single service. The RDF Site Summary which is the first version of RSS was created for use on the My Netscape portal. This eventually became known as RSS 0.9. A prototype that simplified the format and incorporated parts of a new scripting news format was produced in response to comments and suggestions made to the existing version. It was considered an interim measure as an RSS 1.0 like format was suggested through the so-called Futures Document.

The format was left without an owner when Netscape lost interest. Since it is becoming widely used, a working group and mailing list was set by various users and XML notables to continue its development. An RSS fork was created when two companies claimed ownership of the existing RSS.

A format grouped under an RSS 0.92 heading contained incremental changes to the existing format. Meanwhile, another group went on to produce RSS 1.0 which was based on RDF specifications but was more modular. When the RSS 0.92 was released, it contained minor and supposedly compatible set of changes to RSS 0.91. A subsequent draft was published for RSS 0.93 and RSS 0.94 by the same creator. RSS 0.93 was almost identical to 0.92 while the 0.94 reverted changes made in 0.93 and added a type attribute to the description element.

A final successor to the RSS 0.92 known as RSS 2.0 was released in September 2002 which emphasized "Really Simple Syndication" as the meaning of the three-letter acronym. It removed the type attribute added in RSS 0.94 and allowed users to add extension element using XML namespaces. Although several versions of it were released, the version number of the document model remained unchanged.

The adoption of the RSS format by New York Times became the starting point for such a format to becoming a standard. This format enabled it to offer its readers the ability to subscribe to RSS news feeds related to various topics. The RSS 2.0 specification was assigned ownership to Harvard's Berkman Center for the Internet and Society. The creation of the new format and the raising of the version number were criticized and were answered with the creation of RSS 3.0, which is a non-XML textual format. It was only intended as a parody and very few implementations were made.

A preliminary draft of RSS 1.1 was produced to fix 1.0 by removing little-used features, simplifying the syntax and improving the specification based on the more recent RDF specifications. However, such work eventually became a mere academic exercise. RSS 1.1 never prospered.

Apple Computer, Inc. released Safari 2.0 with built-in RSS Feeds capabilities. It delivered the ability to read RSS feeds and bookmark them while having built-in search features. An independent project intended to create RSS 3 failed to gain backing from anyone in the industry.

Microsoft proposed its Simple Sharing Extensions to RSS, informally named Real Simple Synchronization. Together with the Outlook team, it eventually announced the adoption of the feed icon first used in the Mozilla Firefox browser. This effectively made the orange square with white radio waves the industry standard for both RSS and related formats such as Atom. Opera followed suit when they added the orange square in the release of Opera 9. The start of 2006 saw the re-launching of the RSS Advisory Board to work for the further development of the RSS format.

Usability Problems and Solutions

One of the major problems in RSS usability is the absence of consistency in the manner of subscribing. Some sites use the RSS icon such as the orange XML icon but other sites don't have any icon but instead use words such as subscribe, feed or web-feed. There are even sites that don't have any icon or word with any link at all. Still there are sites that use different icons for RSS. One offered solution is putting a text link in very small type at the bottom of the page which may prove to be unsatisfying to say the least. Another is sticking out with the orange XML icon as it tends to stand-out and have a link next to it describing what the RSS is and how to use it.

It can be very difficult when a browser starts spewing undecipherable code after clicking an orange button with an unfamiliar acronym. Apple has recently come out with the Safari to handle RSS feeds or send it off to a chosen aggregator. A look into the Safari's preferences at the RSS pane will reveal a dropdown menu for setting which application is desired as default news aggregator.

It is important to make software usable. Usability then was all about computer-human interaction and a lot of software remain as such. However, the Internet has given rise to new software that centers on the interaction between humans. This has been seen in discussion groups, social networking, on-line classified ads and of course, the e-mail which are all softwares that mediate between people. In this case, social interface is equally important.

RSS or news feeds in general, is like getting a subscription to a magazine except that there is no need to regularly check for new issues to come out. Through RSS, the user is informed about sites which are particularly being watched instead of checking a dozen or hundred of websites everyday. This technology is very useful but there seems to be an information overload prevailing in the system.

Some suggested solutions include visualization or collaborative filtering through smart search terms. The solution is about identifying the echoes and grouping them. When RSS readers collect updates, these results to so many unread items which make it very difficult to determine which one to read first. There are a few things to remember when subscribing to feeds. It is impossible to read everything even if all your time is devoted to reading. Even contents of a limited number of feeds may involve a lot of reading. It is important to know how to use the RSS technology before it manages to drown the user and render it useless.

10 Of The Best RSS Tips

RSS is not for everybody in the same way as all other mediums of technology are. However by far, RSS is considered the most reliable content delivery channel there is. It is also believed to be able to increase search engine rankings
, enhance e-mail marketing and builds on that relationship, generates media coverage through content syndication, develop on-line conversations and a whole lot more of possibilities. As such, its users should be able to maximize its use for their greater benefit and convenience. Here's how:

1. Use the RSS initially as an end-user.

The first step in any worthwhile activity is understanding the intricacies of how it works. It would be impossible to fully comprehend anything without having the benefit of actual experience in using it. One can get an RSS aggregator as there is a variety of providers to choose from. Among the most popular and highly recommended are My Yahoo!, Bloglines, Firefox and NetNews Wire. Subscribing to other RSS feeds can immediately hasten the learning process.

2. Set up a plan for your RSS feeds.

Planning one's RSS feeds is very important since it can be used for various purposes of the user. An RSS feed may be needed for e-zines, news section and articles. Other opportunities available in RSS includes follow-up RSS feeds, feeds for affiliates, feeds for employees or business partners, feeds for the media and many others. A technology that is capable of such diverse application requires organization and order.

3. Make a list of RSS Marketing Requirements.

There are several basic questions that need to be taken into consideration when you push to publish your feeds. Some of which includes whether RSS publishing is to be integrated with existing content management system, whether your feed requires personalization particularly the RSS content or whether you would want to provide subscribers with the ability to select the content they would prefer to receive. Other considerations are the RSS metrics desired, the host of the feeds and the budget.

4. Choose among available publishing tools in creating a feed.

Marketing and publishing tools come in a few general categories namely desktop feed generation tools, hosted on-line RSS publishing solutions, advanced RSS marketing solutions plus a few other options. Desktops software is relatively inexpensive and is quick and easy to use in generating RSS feeds but generally does not allow for more advanced features. A basic hosted on-line RSS publishing solution can be chosen to avoid being bothered by a desktop tool and the constant upload of your RSS feeds to your server. The more advanced RSS marketing solutions which include additional capabilities such as metrics, scheduled autoresponder messages, database building capabilities and the like. Other options would include the use of an existing content management system to publish RSS feeds or a blog publishing solution.

5. Be sure to promote your RSS feeds through your own channels.

This is best done through the creation of an RSS presentation page which should contain an explanation of what an RSS is, the benefits to be expected from it use, recommendation of a free RSS aggregator, the manner of subscribing to these feeds and the reason why people should subscribe to your RSS feeds. The same page can also include the links to all your other RSS feeds as well as direct links for subscriptions to relevant services. This page is to be promoted as much as possible in all available channels such as the e-zine subscription box, e-mail messages and e-zine issues. For more than one published RSS feed, each can be promoted next to their topics on the site. It should be remembered that nothing is more effective than a compelling copy in convincing people to subscribe.

6. Promote your feeds as well through external channels.

This can be done by submitting your feeds to appropriate search engines and directories where the best lists are found. The RSS aggregator sites should be pinged every time an update is done to the on-line content. Your feed content can also be syndicated to other web media.

7. Allow syndication of your RSS feed.
RSS as one of the potent marketing channels needs to be used to leverage the most out of its format. Allowing others to take your RSS feed and use it to refurbish your news in their homepage will work to your advantage. In fact, it should be encouraged by providing short stories or simple explanations of how easy it is to search, filter and aggregate content from various RSS feeds as well as create dedicated news channels.

8. People who adopt RSS are in it primarily for the information.

No one in particular would want to adopt RSS. The people who do are in it for the timely information they get in a controlled and organized way that helps them become better either at their work or their personal life. The tremendous volume of information and news available through RSS is very hard to ignore.

9. RSS, Blog, E-zines and E-mail can work together.

Most marketers still depend mostly on e-mail as their key marketing and communication tool. However, getting e-mail through is becoming increasingly difficult due to spam filters and spam itself. RSS has become the essential element to e-mail delivery at a time where many Internet users choose to ignore e-mail subscriptions and subscribe only to RSS content. Blogs and e-zines are concerned with the content and what is published on-line. RSS and e-mail are concerned with getting the information to the reader. One is not intended to replace the other but rather to work hand in hand together,

10. Use RSS potential for providing value in market research.

RSS holds much potential when it comes to its capability in reaching new customers. However, the best approach is to walk carefully rather than running head-on as there is much danger in over-hyping this medium. Patience would be a required virtue especially for companies that have sophisticated reporting systems. Advertisers should refrain from the annoying practice of placing an ad after every item. They would do well to observe the best practice guidelines for RSS advertising.

The RSS promises to provide to end-users a unified one-stop-shop for consumption of on-line content. It hopes to do away with the need to visit several sites each day just to see what's new. On-line subscriptions will no longer interfere with personal and business e-mail communications
.

It likewise promises to give its users complete control over their content consumption. They even have the option to unsubscribe from content they do not wish to receive. Breaking news is received as it becomes available. There is absolutely no need to wait for worrisome recaps sent to their e-mail addresses.

RSS makes possible the certainty of receiving the content users would want without the inconvenience brought about by spam filters. It also has the ability to receive content directly to desktops including audio and video content. To sum it up, RSS provide the tool that makes the user's lives so much easier with its important advancements that can change how Internet content is consumed.

8 TOP Ways To Promote Your RSS/XML Feed For MAXIMUM Exposure

RSS(Real Simple Syndication) is the new technology on the block and is taking the Internet by storm as Internet marketers are hurrying to incorporate this new form of communication and technology into there existing online businesses to Maximize there exposure online with NEW and/or Existing customers.

I recently received a post on my Blog from a fellow that inspired me to write this article since I found the nature of the topic important to ALL who are serious about getting the most out of there RSS feed and this new technology.

I'm pretty sure you can guess what he ask from reading the headline of this article.

Well... I did some research on what he had asked of me and came up with...

"8 TOP Ways To Promote Your RSS/XML Feed For MAXIMUM Exposure"

So, with that said, let's dive into the first and MOST important step to Maximizing your RSS feed for the exposure it deserves.

Step #1. Build a dedicated webpage for your RSS feed.

This is probably the most important part of getting the most out of your RSS feed, is by building your own dedicated webpage for your RSS feed subscription.

The KEY here is to give your potential readers many options to adding Your RSS feed.

The best way for me to illustrate this to you is by clicking on the link below that leads to my dedicated RSS feed subscription page so you can see first hand what you need to do to get yours started.

Click here:http://www.internetwondersezine.com/rss_feed.html

Did you notice all the different options I give?

That's what you need to do.

Now, for those of you who aren't so web savvy, don't worry, I have something for you that will auto-generate a RSS feed webpage for you within minutes if you already have a Blog or RSS feed.

The service I'm talking about is called FeedBurner.com -- http://www.feedburner.com -- and is a free service for you to sign up for.

Here's what my webpage through FeedBurner.com looks like so you'll have an idea of what yours will look like.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheInternetWondersBlog

Do you see all the options they give your potential readers to add your RSS feed to there RSS readers?

Once you've accomplished one of the two options above your all set to start promoting your RSS feed for MAXIMUM exposure.

Step #2. Add links to your RSS feed webpage on your website.

This is yet just another way to pull your visitors towards your RSS feed webpage by simply adding Text or Graphic links to your existing webpages.

Make sure you put them in Highly visible area's where your visitors will see your links.

I would would put one at the top, middle and bottom of your website.

This really depends on what kind of website you have so you'll have to use your own dicression.

Here's what I have done on my website to give you an example.

Click here: http://www.internetwondersezine.com

Step #3. Add this HTML tag to your RSS feed webpage.

Here's something you can add to all your websites webpages that will get the attention of Search Engines spiders to come on over and check out your RSS feed further.

Simple add the following HTML tag to the of your document:

link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="YOUR SITE TITLE RSS Feed" rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="URL TO RSS FILE"/

(note: add this to the end after the forward slash /)

Step #4. Some idea's if you have your own newsletter.

If you have your own newsletter like I do, here's a couple ways to get your visitors to visit your RSS feed webpage.

Add a link on your "Thank You" page that leads to your RSS feed webpage. Whether its a Text or Graphic link.

The key here is to get your RSS feed link in front of your readers as much as possible to get them to add your RSS feed to there readers.

The next one is, add a link inside your "Welcome" email that's sent out to your New newsletter subscriber after they've subscribed.

This again, will give you another chance of getting them to add your RSS feed to there readers.

Step #5. Put together a "Signature File".

Here's another couple great ways to get your RSS feed webpage more exposure every time you send out an email or post to any online forums is by simply putting together a "Signature File".

Now, every time you sent out an email to your list and/or business contact you can attached your "Signature File" at the end of every email you send.

The same goes for online forums, every time you make a post or answer someone else's, your "Signature File" will be automatically attached.

Your "Signature File" doesn't have to be a huge, a few enticing lines will do fine with your RSS feed URL.

Step #6. Submit your RSS feed to RSS Directories and SE's.

Another great way to give your RSS feed more exposure is by submitting it or them to RSS Directories and Search Engines.

I've listed a few resources for you below to get you started with.

    *

      Feed Sharkhttp://feedshark.brainbliss.com
    *

      Ping-O-Matichttp://pingomatic.com
    *

      RSS Top 55http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55

Step #7. Write an article, if you write articles.

This is a great way to get your RSS feed webpage in front of thousands of targeted readers absolutely FREE!

Simply write an article on a HOT topic within your niche, and at the end of your article add an enticing, attention grabbing "Resource Box" that points to your RSS feed webpage URL.

Step #8. Set-Up a PPC(Pay-Per-Click) campaign.

For the last step to getting your RSS feed webpage Maximum exposure is to set-up a PPC campaign.

By doing this you will be able to send HIGHLY targeted traffic to your RSS feed webpage that are hungry for the information you have to offer.

The only downside to doing the PPC tactic is that it will cost you.

And, this tactic solely depends on whether or not you chose to set-up an RSS feed webpage of your own.

Now, I'm sure there are many others ways out there that could draw in more visitors to your RSS feed, but, these ones I just outlined in this article are the Best ones in my mind and are the ones I use.

Well, this concludes the, "8 TOP Ways To Promote Your RSS/XML Feed For MAXIMUM Exposure", so, the only thing I have left to say to you is... Get Started!

Learning The Basics Of RSS

What is RSS? You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS? RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers. 1.It gives you the latest updates. Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2.It saves on surfing time. Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user's time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3.It gives the power of subscription to the user. Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4.It lessens the clutter in your inbox. Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5.It is spam free. Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6.Unsubscribing is hassle-free. Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7.It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool. Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS? The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns. 1.Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

2.Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds. For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3.The identity of the source website can be confusing. Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.

4.Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.

5.RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server. Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6.Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS? There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1.Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly

2.Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3.Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

RSS Revisited - Why You Still Need RSS on Your Site

One of the very first articles I ever wrote on Internet Marketing had to do with RSS and it was entitled "10 Reasons To Put RSS On Your Site." That was in 2004 and RSS was somewhat new and many webmasters were just beginning to place blogs and RSS feeds on their sites. If you do a search in Google, you can still find that article on around 2,000 sites.

Most people now refer to RSS as "Really Simple Syndication" - although it originally stood for "Rich Site Summary" and was a very simple way of summarizing and syndicating your content in real-time to all interested parties.

RSS had its early beginnings with Netscape in 1991 which introduced the first version of RSS (RDF Site Summary). Later versions would be introduced and made popular by Dave Winer of ScriptingNews and Userland fame who is considered by many to be one of the major founding fathers of RSS.

Most people today associate RSS with blogs and blogging. You can read RSS content by using an RSS feed reader or "aggregator" which can be desktop or web-based. Some common feed readers include FeedDemon, My Yahoo!, iGoogle and Firefox (Live Bookmarks). You subscribe to your favorite RSS feed by clicking the small icon on your favorite blog or site and then when fresh content is published via RSS your reader can immeditately retrieve and display it for you.

RSS is a very simple way of keeping up to date and in contact with your favorite site or topic. It makes staying informed easy to do and it provides site/blog owners a simple way of distributing their content.

One can't but wonder has RSS lived up to all that early hype?

Perhaps that question can only be answered by looking at the popularity of blogging and the role it now plays on the web. No one can deny blogs and their accompanying RSS feeds carry tremendous weight, no matter which way you measure it. Can anyone now imagine the World Wide Web without blogs?

But the importance of RSS goes beyond just blogging, we tend to forget how important it is for all the new social media sites like Digg, Technorati, Reddit... and not to forget fast growing applications like Twitter.

People also forget RSS feeds play a major role in online retail and affiliate programs. For example, you can get an RSS feed of all the latest Amazon products to place on your site. Many major online companies now have these product feeds to help promote and sell their wares.

XML and RSS have blended so seamlessly into many browsers and operating systems most users are blissfully unaware they're even using RSS. Maybe that's how things should be; with RSS, the ever-present workhorse, quietly doing its job behind the scenes.

RSS is just as important now as it was five years ago - actually its influence and presence has only grown stronger over the years. If you have not fully embraced RSS and placed it on your site and in your online marketing you're missing out on one of the best opportunities to spread your message on the web.

RSS is here to stay and even has its own advisory board to help with the technical and programming side of RSS. They also list a very handy "RSS Best Practices Profile" for any webmaster wishing to create their own XML-based RSS documents. http://www.rssboard.org/

Why should you use RSS?

Well, the list of reasons is quite long but RSS can help you: syndicate your content in real-time, sell your products, build your list, gather fresh content, promote your company and boost that one vital element everyone needs more of on the web - traffic. For those who have taken full advantage of RSS it has delivered in more ways than one for it has truly turned into that Golden Goose with the Midas complex. RSS has simply proven beneficial to those users who have fully embraced it.

Now, you still don't really need 10 reasons to put RSS on your site, do you?

A Guide to RSS Aggregators

A Guide to RSS Aggregators

One of the most popular features of Internet portals
, websites, pages and even emails is a frame that features an organized list of news headlines and periodic updates from other web sources. Really Simple Syndication, formerly “Rich Site Summary” or simply, RSS makes this possible.

Most users visit a lot of websites whose content continually change, such as news sites, community organization or professional association information pages, medical websites, product support pages, and blogs. As Internet surfing became an intrinsic part of business and leisure, it became important to get rid of the very tedious task of repeatedly returning to each website to see updated content.

RSS easily distributes information from different websites to a wider number of Internet users. RSS aggregators are programs that use RSS to source these updates, and then organize those lists of headlines, content and notices for easy reading. It allows computers to automatically retrieve and read the content that users want, then track changes and personalize lists of headlines that interests them.

The specially made computer programs called “RSS aggregators” were created to automatically find and retrieve the RSS feeds of pre-selected internet sites on behalf of the user and organize the results accordingly. (RSS feeds and aggregators are also sometimes referred to as "RSS Channels" and "RSS Readers".)

The RSS aggregator is like a web browser for RSS content. HTML presents information directly to users, and RSS automatically lets computers communicate with one another. While users use browsers to surf the web then load and view each page of interest, RSS aggregators keeps track of changes to many websites. The titles or descriptions are links themselves and can be used to load the web page the user wants.

RSS starts with an original Web site that has content made available by the administrator. The website creates an RSS document and registers this content with an RSS publisher that will allow other websites to syndicate the documents. The Web site also produces an RSS feed, or channel, which is available together with all other resources or documents on the particular Web server. The website will register the feed as an RSS document, with a listed directory of appropriate RSS publishers.

An RSS feed is composed of website content listed from newest to oldest. Each item usually consists of a simple title describing the item along with a more complete description and a link to a web page with the actual content being described. In some instances, the short description or title line is the all the updated information that a user wants to read (for example, final games scores in sports, weblogs post, or stock updates). Therefore, it is not even necessary to have a web page associated with the content or update items listed -- sometimes all the needed information that users need would be in the titles and short summaries themselves.

The RSS content is located in a single file on a webpage in a manner not very different from typical web pages. The difference is that the information is written in the XML computer code for use by an RSS aggregator and not by a web user like a normal HTML page.

There are 2 main parts that are involved in RSS syndication, namely: the source end and the client end.

The client end of RSS publishing makes up part of the system that gathers and uses the RSS feed. For example, Mozilla FireFox browser is typically at the client end of the RSS transaction. A user’s desktop RSS aggregator program also belongs to the client end.

Once the URL of an RSS feed is known, a user can give that address to an RSS aggregator program and have the aggregator monitor the RSS feed for changes. Numerous RSS aggregators are already preconfigured with a ready list of RSS feed URLs for popular news or information websites that a user can simply choose from.

There are many RSS aggregators that can be used by all Internet users. Some can be accessed through the Internet, some are already incorporated into email applications, and others run as a standalone program inside the personal computer.

RSS feeds have evolved into many uses. Some uses gaining popularity are:

·For online store or retail establishments: Notification of new product arrivals
·For organization or association newsletters: title listings and notification of new issues, including email newsletters
·Weather Updates and other alerts of changing geographic conditions
·Database management: Notification of new items added, or new registered members to a club or interest group.

The uses of feeds will continue to grow, because RSS aggregators make access to any information that individual users like more convenient and fun.

Using RSS To Promote Your Website

You have the website, the product, and compelling content to attract readers to purchase your book, your CD, or whatever items you choose to sell. You may notice a surge in traffic as you build your site and employ various search engine optimization tactics, but are not wholly satisfied.

You know you can attract more visitors if you could just reach them. You have a weblog attached to your site, and you write wonderful articles which receive much praise. What else is there to do?

Have you considered syndicating your content and products to users with an RSS feed? Do you even know what RSS is?

Simply defined, RSS is an XML-based format. XML, for the novice, stands for Xtreme Markup Language, a special coding language that represents information for resources in the World Wide Web. Using the XML, one can permit the distribution, or syndication, of content to users who collect such data through specialized aggregators, or readers. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication, and once you get used to the idea it really can be simple.

By creating an RSS "feed" (think of a news ticker on a cable network, providing up-to-date information in real time), one can distribute product content, articles, pictures, and even embedded video, audio, and links. This information is used to entice users to click through to the host site.

RSS allows a person's computer to fetch and understand the information, so that all of the lists that person is interested in can be tracked and personalized for them. RSS differs from a traditional website in that the information is usually presented elsewhere.

Say for example an Internet user has a personalize start page with My Yahoo! On this start page is information on various sports teams so the user can keep track of the playoffs. Yahoo allows the user to edit what information is displayed so only the information the user wants is visible. The user may aggregate information from various sports websites that offer RSS data, and place it on the Yahoo page.

When the user visits his start up page, he will see headlines from the many sports websites fed into the page. If there is a headline that appeals to the user, a click on the link will direct him to the site. Think of RSS feeds as puzzle pieces, brought together to create custom designs for Web users all over the world.

Sites that allow for the opportunity to generate updated, fresh content can benefit from offering an RSS feed. Whether you sell products or services, want to promote a new book or film, an RSS feed attached to your site can extend your site's reach and increase traffic.

Having an RSS feed attached to a site also allows for the opportunity to submit to RSS specific search engines, thereby increasing awareness of the site. As you research RSS, you may find there are feeds for just about every subject of conversation, from sports to movies, multi-cultural issues to religion. Shopping sites use RSS to advertise sales, while travel site promote discount airfares for frequent flyers. There is no limit to what you can promote with RSS.

Creating an RSS Feed

Now that you have decided to promote yourself and your products with RSS, it is time to create a feed and attract the traffic you want. Creating a feed is different from creating website. Though there is content involved, you do not need to worry much about presentation and design, as different RSS readers tend to presently only the text and links associated with the feed content.

If you are unfamiliar with hand-coding XML, it would be best to create your RSS through either special software or through a third-party website that creates and hosts feeds. A quick Internet search on "RSS builders" and "RSS host sites" will lead you in the right direction.

If you have a weblog with a third-party host, you may note that this content is already being syndicated. If so, you may want to consider changing the focus of your blog to better sell your products, or create a second feed for better sale emphasis.

Once you have decided on the method of production, it's time to produce!

Writing RSS content can be likened to ad copy. You want to use attention-getting headlines that will entice readers to click through to your site. As some RSS readers display only the headline rather than an abstract of the content, you want to be concise and compelling. "Save now on special purchase," "Buy one, get one free!" Make the reader want to click to read more.

Depending upon the RSS aggregator, the reader will immediately click-through to your site, or be taken to your RSS content. Either way, it is important that all clicks eventually lead to the point of sale. Keep RSS posts short and direct. Tempt the reader to click through to your site to learn more about buying your book, CD, or product.

Link to the sale page rather than the home page so a reader won't become frustrated with having to navigate your entire site. Hot link a photo of the item using the IMG tag to give your feed an attractive look. If you use an RSS software or third party site, you may be able to use such coding, be sure to check.

Promoting with an RSS Feed

As search engines become more adept at collecting information, they are devising new ways to get this data. Some engines, like Google, have special spiders that mine the Internet solely for RSS-based information. If you want your RSS feed to be found, whether you host it on your site as an RSS or XML file, or host through a third party website, you will need to have the URL of the feed on your front page so people can subscribe to it.

Clicking on the link will not open the feed like a website, but depending upon the browser being used to view the feed it may take the user to an option that allows him to save your feed's information. A quick Internet search on RSS tutorials will give you a special code you can put on your site to alert spiders to your feed, too. Also, there do exist RSS search engine where you can submit your feed for inclusion.

The one advantage to having an RSS feed is that what content you provide remains available to users who find it during search. To improve the likelihood of traffic increases, add to your RSS feed regularly, advertising all news and specials related to your books, music, or services. Your ability to prove Internet savvy can attract a new audience to your site, and in turn improve your sales.

Why Random Rss Can Get you On the Top 10 Sooner Than Any Other SEO Strategy!

When search engine optimization experts read this, it merely confirmed something they already knew...that even well-optimized content needs to be periodically refreshed in order to maintain top search engine rankings.

RSS content is delivered through RSS feeds. Simple files structured in a specific way.

Using RSS will advance intension and maximize freshness.
RSS newsfeeds transfer a range of opportunities so that increasing traffic to your website. Broadcasting your own feed is a great way to cut through the deflection of SPAM and get your message directly to your target market. Not to mention The Traffic That an RSS Feed can bring to your Website. On the other hand, importing feeds from other sites or alike other parts of your own site and publicizeing them on your webpages can reconstruct your search engine positioning by automatically keeping your website full of fresh, significant information. This article will show you how to show RSS feeds on your webpage, as well as a few techniques so that maximizing the value you derive from them.

But first lets see some RSS advantages and benefits:

1. New content. Updated information.

2. RSS gets your content delivered, period. And it helps you increase your search engine rankings and drives new traffic to your sites.

3. Microsoft is integrating RSS support in the next version of its Internet Explorer and is making RSS an integral part of its long-awaited Longhorn operating system.

What you must avoid with RSS?

Never use JavaScript to show RSS on your pages. Why not? Whereas search engines don't look at JavaScript, so JavaScript feeds are pointless since SEO. To contract newsfeeds visible to search engines, their text has to be embedded into your page. If you view the source code of your page and you don't spot the actual text of the newsfeed, then search engines aren't going to discover it either.

So, what you should use, is PHP or any other server side pattern. Server side algorithm is any methodology that "runs" on the server while Client side tactics is any approach that has to be downloaded in the visitor's computer and then show on his browser. An case of server side is a PHP script and an reference of client side is a javascript.

Now in this article we are going to focus on the PHP methodology to show RSS feeds on your pages. There are many and various Free script that can show RSS feeds on your pages and one of them is CaRP. (You may search Google for "CaRP" to find the download link).

By adding RSS in any of your pages, this page will be always with fresh content.

You have of course to find Relative to your site content so that will help you SEO optimize your pages. Let's say you're trying to optimize your page for the words "search engines". Try browsing or searching since "search engines" at Feedster dot com and other newsfeed directories, or again just searching Google.

For reference, to look since a "search engines" feed, search so that 'RSS "search engines"'. At the pages that come up in your search, look for an orange button or a link with the letters "RSS" or "XML". Clicking anything of those should get you the URL of their RSS feed.

Once you have assemble some newsfeeds that covers the right topic, copy those URL's and paste them into a notepad and save the file.

Then test them all since a few days until
you choose one that is update more day by day than the others do.

At the top of each RSS Feed (when you look in the source code) you will see some reputable info as the date and time the RSS feed was created or updated.

Now I will tell you a secret that lots people doesn't know. If you use a script like CaRP then in your pages you may only show one RSS Feed at a time.

What does that mean? That maybe the RSS Feed is Relevant and update daily but, the problem is that the same RSS feed maybe is shown in thousand other sites in the same time. So Search engines like Google will not index your page (or may ban your page in a worst scenario), considering of two reasons:

The same content can be found in other sites that use the same RSS Feed, as dublicated content (robot will take it as spam) and the robots doesn't like to index the same content over and over again.

And Why they should index your pages while the same content they have indexed theretofore from a previous visited site?

So what you can do about it? The solution is one and is called Random RSS (discovered by TrafficBoosterPro dot com)!

This is the new SEO technic to optimize your site since it uses the RSS Magic but in the same time it uses PHP to select randomly 3 or more RSS Feeds from a Feed pool of hundrends or thousands of Relevant RSS feeds that mix their content during the time that the page loads in the Browser and this way it creates a unique content always Related and fresh.

Also the new Google "Bigdaddy" update is not an algorithm update but a change in Google's data center infrastructure. It contains new code since sorting and examining web pages. According to Google's search engineer Matt Cutts, the update should be live in February or March 2006. Google is now testing a new search engine spider that is based on the Mozilla browser.

The new spider should be able to index more than traditional search engine spiders, possibly links within images, JavaScripts or Flash files. That means that Google while visiting your pages will behave more as a web browser than a common robot.

So It will have to load your page (by simulating a common browser) to view what it couldn't discover before as a simple crawler robot. That means it can spot redirection and hidden CSS techniques (known as black hat seo). But it will also see that your page has fresh Related content in each time the googlebot visit your site. This approach will show new content in every browser refresh every day every hour every minute.

Fresh content since ever! Great! You're importing content into your webpage that's relevant to your keywords! And every time the RSS feed gets updated, fresh news will show up in your page automatically! But we're not going to stop there. There are still ways to boost the SEO value of the newsfeed.

Now each RSS Feed does come with content, links and some time images. What this could mean in your pages? It can assign your pages look nicer (because of Related images) but it could also present them load slower. In the other hand the embedded links can get your PageRank bled off by adding numerous links in your pages that will also manage the robots follow them and leave your site.

To dissolve this problem one should download and use a PHP script named TrafficBoosterPro. From TrafficBoosterPro dot com. This is not a free script but among the other features that this script has is to mix and randomize RSS feeds in your pages cast away the embedded links and images or show images and not links or show links but not images or show just the RSS Feed content and you can choose how lots RSS Feeds you want to use in the same time in one page.

This script can build for you also thousands of optimized pages with Proportional content just by giving to the script your desired keywords. You may choose to blend as masses of Related RSS Feeds in the Admin control panel and it doesn't stop here. It can show Associated clickbank, Ebay and Amazon products with your affiliate ID embedded in the links, It can help you sell your products in Ebay.

Search engines have the abilitiy to make even the most confident webmaster feel powerless. So It's useful to spend a few minutes researching some appropriate choices - once you've decided on one that you believe to be suitable, you can start picking up new feeds straight away.

Technology News Feed - Are you New to Rss?

If so here is a introduction to what RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is and how your website will benefit from offering an RSS feed to your visitor's. "RSS is used to provide items containing short descriptions of web content together with a link to the full version of the content." (from Wikipedia)

According to a report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 5% (6 million) Americans online consume news and information through RSS aggregators. So the market is already out there!

But what are RSS Feeds?

RSS is a smooth channel of communication
between publishers and visitor's. Since RSS has grown in recent popularity, more website owners are beginning to experiment with and use RSS feeds to deliver content in new and exciting ways.

But RSS is not only about text. You can easily use it to deliver audio content, video content and even PowerPoint presentations and PDF files. fox news RSS feed A number of RSS search engines and RSS directories exist that allow you to freely submit RSS feeds. Feeds are generally categorized and grouped together by subject. Web surfers looking for RSS feeds about a specific subject will often search the RSS directories, to locate a feed that matches their specific criteria. Topic specific RSS feed and podcasting directories are also emerging. Choose a web feed's category carefully and only submit relevant feeds to topic specific directories.

Once Windows Longhorn is released in late 2006 users will be able to find, subscribe to and read RSS feeds all the while having very little knowledge of how RSS works. Microsoft is helping to make RSS very user friendly. At the top of each RSS Feed (when you look in the source code) you will see some important info as the date and time the RSS feed was created or updated.

Some RSS Features you must see are:

1. RSS is the free way of getting your content delivered every time.

2. Every time you update your RSS feed by adding new content items to the RSS file, the user is notified of that through his RSS aggregator, making the content immediately available to him, without it having to face any SPAM filters and other barricades on the way.

3. In a time when spam filters are blocking much of the content visitor's have asked for, the biggest benefit to using RSS is that RSS gives publishers and readers the chance to connect, and for good ideas to be shared, without the clutter of unsolicited email messages.

4. You can add your feed to RSS search engines and RSS directories.

5. RSS can also enhance your search engine rankings as well (with advance scripts as the TrafficBoosterPro).

There is little argument from webmasters and publishers that RSS brings in traffic. RSS feeds have yet to hit the mainstream, but they are beginning to appear on prominent web sites including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo, and even Google. While many sites are now publishing their own RSS feed, they fail to pursue the important step of promoting it.

Pitfalls of a Newbie - What about RSS feeds?

If you'd asked me a couple of days ago, however, I would have disagreed. I had immersed myself in all the technical details of RSS and installing channel creation tools and was confused. Let me see if I can break through some of the fog to help you figure out how to do this. In short, here's what's involved:

1. Use the free WebReference RSS Channel Editor to set up a channel and list up to 15 articles. 2. Upload the file you've created to your webserver. 3. Validate the XML to make sure it can be read by the multitude of news aggregation programs. 4. Advertise your RSS feed (channel) to various directories and to your site visitors 5. Maintain your feed by adding new articles using the RSS Channel Editor Before we look at each of these points, however, I need to briefly discuss news aggregators and RSS formats.

News Aggregators News aggregators are the software tools used to read the RSS news feeds that you and your customers will subscribe to. Various RSS Formats There's some controversy over competing RSS format standards. Most feeds use the related standards RSS 0.91 or 2.0, which are pretty similar. I don't think it makes much difference what standard you adopt at first -- the crucial decision is what tool you can find to create your channel. For now the most accessible tools produce RSS 0.91 feeds. All the major news aggregators support all the formats. Of course, the more recent 1.0 and 2.0 standards each offer advantages, but don't wait until you can produce feeds in these formats. Start now with whatever standard is easiest for you and upgrade later. 1. Create a Channel To create a RSS news channel that lists the various articles on your site or in your e-mail newsletter, you have four choices: · Construct it from scratch in Notepad. Not recommended. · Use a RSS syndication tool built into the content management or blogger software you may be using. · Prepare your feed from a stand-alone tool such as RSS Channel Editor. · Have a software tool "scrape" your site and incorporate the most important information it finds there. However, scraping your site with a tool like MyRSS may produce some pretty strange results unless the process is customized and the appropriate sections are marked on your site.

I tried a number of tools and settled on the WebReference RSS Channel Editor. This program allows you to retrieve your current RSS file (if you have one set up), and edit it or add to it, up to 15 articles. The program produces RSS 0.91 output and works quite well. Another stand-alone program is the RSS Headline Creator from WebDevTips which produces RSS 2.0 output, but isn't as easy to maintain your feed as with the RSS Channel Editor.

2. Upload the File With RSS Channel Editor you click a button "Build RSS" and then copy and paste the code to a file. The extension you use doesn't really matter to the news aggregators -- .rss, .rdf, .xml all work. Now, with your FTP program, you upload your file to your webserver where it can be viewed and automatically checked by news aggregators.

3. Validate the XML The next step is to check your RSS file to make sure that it is error-free. If you build this file from scratch or "improve" it with a text editor, errors can easily creep in. Of the various validation programs, I found that FEED Validator for RSS and Atom gave the most helpful suggestions to fix errors in the code. Another is Userland RSS Validator. 4. Advertise Your RSS Feed Once you've checked your code, it's time to let others know about your feed. This has two aspects: · Place an XML icon on your website hyperlinked to the URL of your RSS feed. For site visitors who have news aggregators, this is a clue that allows them to subscribe to the channel -- either by right-clicking on the icon and selecting su(())========bscribe or some other method. The icon doesn't need any explanation. · Register your RSS feed with various directories. Syndic8 is one of the largest and doesn't cost anything. First, you'll need to register. Then select "Suggest" from the top menu to give the URL of your RSS feed. After the feed has been reviewed and approved, it will appear in the Syndic8 directory. NewsIsFree offers free(())======== listings for non-commercial organizations. RSSxpress lists UK sites.

5. Keep Your Feed Up-to-Date Finally, you'll need to maintain your feed by adding new articles using the RSS Channel Editor. Every time you post a new article on your website, remember to list it in your RSS feed also. If you faithfully do this, an increasing number of customers and interested visitors will rely on your RSS feed and will visit you whenever an article of interest appears in their news aggregator.

Displaying the Feed on Your Home Page While this isn't necessary or even appropriate in all cases, consider displaying your own RSS feed on the home page of your website as a guide to what is new inside the site. There are several tools which convert RSS to HTML that you can display on your website. Be aware that getting the various XML and RSS parsing modules installed on your webserver can be tricky, so you may need to enlist a programmer for an hour or so to help you get these programs working.

Thought for the day: To promote your offering on the Internet, it is often necessary to extend your knowledge and try something new in otder to succeed.

SS... And The 10 MOST Powerful Reasons WHY You Should Be Using It

RSS(Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) is widely becoming a VERY powerful marketing tool on the NET and for Internet marketers around the world, the question is...

... "Are you using RSS to syndicate your content?"

When I first stumbled across RSS syndication while surfing the net, it piqued my curiosity to the point where I couldn't help myself, but, to look into this new form of site promotion
further.

What I found out about this new technology will absolutely change the way you keep in touch with your subscribers and/or readers, in many ways, for years to come.

Just to keep up with the times I recently built a webpage for my website specifically to promote my RSS feed in order to take on new subscribers, and... most important of all, to put this new technology to the test.

Here's what my webpage looks like if you decide to build your own dedicated webpage for your RSS feed. I highly recommend you do, but, that's just me.

If you do decide to build one, make sure you give your subscribers and/or readers options.

http://www.internetwondersezine.com/rss_feed.html

Now, for those of you who aren't quite up to speed on what RSS is, here's a quick definition for you:

RSS is an acronym for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", and the XML extension is the format used for distributing your news headlines via the Web, which is known as Syndication.

Syndication is where the TRUE power of RSS is unleashed, getting your message across the web in an Instant to your subscribers and/or readers.

That's the basics of RSS(Real Simple Syndication).

Now, for the rest of this article I want to focus on the "10 MOST Powerful Reasons WHY You Should Be Using It".

So, with that said, let's go to reason #1.

Reason #1. RSS Streamlines communication.

RSS streamlines communication between the publishers and readers making it easier for the subscriber to receive your content.

Reason #2. Readers can Opt-In to feeds.

RSS gives the subscriber the ability to Opt-In to the feeds they are interested in and the ability to Opt-Out if they wish through there RSS reader just like an auto-responder.

Reason #3. You don't have to maintain an RSS feed.

This is a great time saver for the busy marketer because RSS is a great communication supplement that doesn't burden the publisher with having to maintain a "List" or having to follow strict privacy rules.

Reason #4. You have the ability to Syndicate your content.

This is where the TRUE power of RSS comes into play because RSS gives you the ability to Syndicate your content to your subscribers and website owners in an INSTANT giving your content the exposure it deserves.

Reason #5. Broadcasts your Sales and Specials.

RSS gives you the ability to broadcast your Sales message and Specials to a wider audience in less time it would take to set-up an email broadcast.

Reason #6. No filters to worry about.

This is the next best feature to RSS feeds because you don't have to worry about your message being passed through some email filter.

By using RSS, your message gets delivered to 100% of your subscribers.

This is a very powerful feature.

Reason #7. No more "Spam" complaints.

This is yet another great benefit to RSS because you never have to worry about "Spam" complaints or "Privacy Policies" again because they have to add your feed to there reader, not the other way around with email.

Reason #8. You get INSTANT credibility.

By publishing your own RSS feed your establishing yourself as an expert in the eyes of your readers as someone who knows his/her industry which will build "Trust".

Reason #9. Multiple ways to read your feed.

RSS is very versatile because it allows you to view the feed in many different media platforms.

Some examples are, Browser Based readers, Software Based readers, and the ability to view feeds on different operating systems like windows and mac.

Reason #10. Free and Easy site promotion.

I like to save the best for last because RSS is a great way to get free traffic to your website without the need of spending money on advertising.

This benefit alone will save you hundreds, if not, thousands in advertising expenses a year in costs to advertise your online business.

Well... are those enough reasons for you to get started with RSS?

I certainly hope so because they sure get me excited everytime I read through them.

Just imagine for a minute your same message you worked so hard on that you were going to send via email getting to 100% of your subscribers INSTANTLY -- On-Demand -- via your own RSS feed without ever having to worry about email filters.

Your response rates would Double, if not, Triple, meaning MORE $$Profits$$ in your pocket with less work.

Internet technology at its Best.

As I mentioned early in my article, the best way to take advantage of RSS... Starting TODAY! ... is to set-up your own dedicated RSS webpage on your website.

If you don't have time to set-up your own webpage I recommend you set-up an account with Blogger.com -- http://www.blogger.com -- and then head over to FeedBurner.com -- http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home -- and set-up an account there.

FeedBurner.com will auto-generate you a RSS subscription page with whatever RSS feed URL you choose.

Well... there you have it, "RSS... And The 10 MOST Powerful Reasons WHY You Should Be Using It" and more.

In conclusion, publishers using RSS as a communication vehicle for their business are able to create keyword-rich, themed content, establishing Trust, Credibility, and ongoing communication with current and prospective subscribers and/or customers without the worry of email filters getting in the way and GUARANTEE's 100% delivery.

The Advantages Of RSS Websites

RSS - or what is now known as "Really Simple Syndication" - is a file format that is incorporated by Internet users in their websites to allow for 'web syndication', making their web content available in a format that can be universally understood by other people.

In essence, RSS is a 'mini database' that contains headlines and descriptions (a summary or a line or two of the full article) of your web content, including hyperlinks that enable users to link back to the full article of their choice.

RSS websites - that is, websites that contain RSS 'feeds' (articles or postings) - typically have colorful graphics to indicate to users that the specific web content is available through RSS feeds. These graphics are usually depicted by orange rectangles that are usually marked with 'RSS' or 'XML'.

With its increased popularity, RSS is now being adopted and used by more website owners or publishers. Today, numerous resources are now available that aid Internet surfers (and even beginners as well) on how to set up and use RSS.

Setting up RSS feeds and adding them to your website can be a simple process that does not involve a lot of time or any money. Listed below are some simple and basic steps that you might want to follow:

1. Have your web content and/or news in an RSS feed format, such as XML (appropriate and 'ready-made' feeds are also available from other sources).

2. Click the orange graphic - this is the RSS feed icon. Take note of the URL of the RSS feed; this will be displayed in the address bar (for Internet
Explorer).

3. Input the feed URL on your RSS feed creation program.

4. Click on the "Generate Feed" button. This will generate the RSS code for your web content.

5. Enter the RSS code in the appropriate place on your own website.

Having created an RSS feed for your website, next comes the task of publishing your web content and news and having them displayed on other sites and headline viewers. This is made possible with the use of RSS readers or aggregators.

RSS readers or news aggregators are used to view particular web contents. RSS readers contain the collection of 'feeds' or RSS files from content providers, and they are generally classified into 3 types:

·Desktop RSS readers - also known as standalone desktop application, they generally 'run' in the background and are similar to an e-mail client, collecting the feeds and refreshing items automatically as they are updated.

·Web-based aggregators - these are online services that enable users to personalize web pages, refreshing them each time the page is accessed or each time a person logs in to the service.

·Plug-in aggregators/readers - these make use of either web browsers or e-mail clients, which allow users to view RSS feeds while inside an existing program.

Having an RSS-enabled website provides Internet users (especially those who are website owners) with the following benefits:

·Allows users to generate up-to-date news and postings, as information and content in the RSS readers or aggregators are automatically updated each time the RSS feed is 'refreshed'.

·Allows users to have control over the information that they wish to view or receive, as they can remove a feed of their choosing any time they want to.

Aside from these benefits, RSS websites are also useful for people who conduct their business in the Internet, particularly in Internet or Online Marketing. RSS can be an effective marketing tool for your website, especially in the following fields:

·E-mail marketing and publishing ·Search engine marketing and optimization ·Business blogging ·Internet advertising ·Digital public relations ·Branding and e-commerce

In addition, RSS can 'power' your website, providing you with the following:

·Valuable, updated, and relevant resources for site visitors and potential clients - RSS is ideal for websites that contain (and syndicate) a lot of information that has to be changed or updated regularly.

·Search engine optimization for the website.

·Increased traffic for the website - your website can 'harvest' and display information from other sites, driving more traffic to your own website.

·A wide selection of 'channels' for content distribution, such as PDA's, cellular phones, voice mails, and email ticklers.

·A reliable way to have your web content delivered to Internet users and potential clients - RSS ensures that your site is viewed by the people who are interested in them, without having them blocked and 'cleaned' by ISPs or Spam filters.

These are just some of the advantages that RSS can give your website (and your business). The possibilities are endless, as more and more comes up almost everyday. Do not be left behind - take the advantage of the marketing and publishing power of RSS.

Five Ways to Promote Your Business Online -- Part Iv: How RSS Can Attract Visitors to Your Small Business Website

What Is RSS?

"RSS" originally stood for "Rich Site Summary." Now it is popularly known as "Really Simple Syndication" because it is a quick and easy way to disseminate, or syndicate, fresh content across the web. RSS is published in XML format and is also referred to as a newsfeed.

How Can RSS Feed Help Your Small Business Website?

In addition to good keywords and good keyword phrases, fresh and relevant content is another imp ortant component of SEO (discussed in Part III of this series). Search engines are constantly on the lookout for new content. To do this they use what are called "search engine spiders" to "crawl" websites and add them to the search engines. RSS or newsfeeds update frequently and because of this they add content to a website on a fairly regular basis. Search engine spiders love this! Your website visitors will too, if you provide them with content that is relevant and interesting. RSS adds to what I call your "expertise quotient." The more information you can give your visitors the more inclined they are to viewing you as an expert in your field. If they see you as an expert, they are more likely to turn to you (over your competition) for the goods and services you provide. For instance, let's say you run a violin repair shop and you are one of two or three in your area. If your website can offer visitors information about how to care for and repair their violins, you establish yourself as an expert. When it comes time for a violin user in your area to get his violin repaired, he's more likely to come to you because you're the expert.

How to Get RSS Feed on Your Website

Borrow It

The simplest way to include RSS feed on your website is to borrow feed from other sources. RSS is available on a wide variety of topics. For instance, if had a golf business and you did a Google search for "RSS golf" you would find 106,000,000 sites (as of this writing) offering golf info and most of them providing RSS newsfeed you can use on your website.

Create Your Own

Creating your own RSS feed greatly improves your expertise quotient because the information is coming directly from your own background and experience. Now before you write yourself off as not being an expert, take a moment to think about what you do for a living. People come to you all the time looking for advice and information in your particular area of expertise. You wouldn't be in business if you didn't know your business! Now instead of just talking about it, you can write it down and turn it into an RSS feed. Instant content! Instant expertise! The really big advantage of creating your own RSS is that you can make it available to people all over the 'Net and those feeds translate into instant backlinks to your website.

For instance, DellwoodWebDesign.com has an RSS page with links from the National Federation of Independent Business. The newsfeed features snippets from the NFIB. Clicking on any of those snippets takes you to the NFIB website. That's an instant backlink for them courtesy of DellwoodWebDesign.com. Now, imagine you creating your own RSS feed and having others use it on their sites. If Joe web designer decides to use your RSS on his site, that RSS points back to its source--and that's you!

But how do you get that feed on your site?

To include RSS on your website you need to use something called an RSS aggregator. The easiest way to do this is to use a service like RSSinclude from RSS-Info.com. Getting RSS feed onto your site could not be simpler and it requires very little coding. All you do is find the RSS feed site you want to include, plug it into the RSSinclude form, and it generates the code you need. You can even customize it to make the feed look like it is part of your site.

If you have created your own feed, RSS-Info features a free RSSeditor that helps you create and upload the feed you create. You don't even need to know XML. Just fill out the form, answer a few questions and you have instant RSS feed.

The hardest part of the whole process is incorpoarting the code into your site and a good web designer can do that!

RSS is a way to build instant credibility with your visitors. It can set you apart from your competitors as the expert in your field. It provides fresh content to your site on a regular basis and it can help improve your website's page rank. There's very little reason not to incorparate RSS as part of your small business website.

Update on RSS - Really Simple Syndication

Updates on RSS Directories

RSS directories are popular these days. RSS is widely used initially by news sites to allow others to syndicate their news stories. Now, a lot of other websites are using RSS. It is being used in flagging new forum headlines, auction listings, sales listings and others.

The meaning of RSS is actually not clear. RSS may or may not be an acronym, actually. RSS may stand for Really Simple Syndication. But others say its Rich Site Summary and sometimes Rich Syndication Standard. The noted creator of RSS directory would be Netscape. It was released sometime in March 1999. The included a UserLand application which is called scripting news. Netscape stopped developing it, but UserLand continued doing so. Another company, RSS-DEV Working Group also released their own version.

RSS directories are sites that collate all RSS links and place them in different categories for other applications to use. This is similar to webhosting, only instead of web pages, they contain RSS links. These links will pop out on the website and when you click it, you will be directed to the main source of the link.

RSS poses a lot of uses for those who like to use the Internet for marketing or commerce. Here are the things you can do with it:

Create links from their website to yours.
If you are selling or promoting something, web traffic is important. The more RSS directory you upload, the more chances you have people seeing those and checking your site out. And if they have customized their sites with your RSS feeds, then they would get updated listings from your site to theirs automatically.

Collating analysis.
If you have a brand and you? like to know how your competitor is doing, you may use RSS to see what they have so far. Get a directory of their product or service so you.l know first hand what they have come out with. With the data gathered you now can plan on how you can counter them.

Tracking your own progress. If you can check out your competitor, of course you like to check out too how your business or product is going too. With an RSS directory of your own, you can know how many people are interested in what you are selling or offering.

Increases productivity.
Putting up RSS directories, let say for newsletters, adds efficiency to your company. If you use RSS for sending out newsletters instead of mailing them to recipients, you? eliminate the possibility of your letter being classified as spam by users, or being sent in a closed mail account.

Increases efficiency.
There are a lot of websites or news articles that could be beneficial to your brand or company. At times, you like to add them to your site. Without the use of RSS, you have to copy the entire thing down and note where you got it. If you use RSS, then the headline and part of the story shows up on your site. And this is an automatic process now. If you use RSS, you just include the directory and automatically, the headline appears without you doing much.

Posting RSS directories could cost you some. But the benefits override it. Some sites even offer free RSS directory posting. If you are just starting up, you may like to check those out. The more RSS directory you have up, the more the possibility that you are sending out information to the people interested in your goods. Reason behind is that people will only get the RSS feeds that they are interested in. If they get yours, they sure are the target market.

Disseminating information online has become easier with RSS. The technology provided a cost-effective way of transferring facts and figures out. Utilizing it would definitely add up to your marketing approach. With it, you have an avenue of reaching out to even more people so easily.

RSS uses XML to syndicate pages. Though that sounds a little technical, there a lot of websites that has user-friendly interface to guide in building your directory. Go ahead and put up your RSS directory up now. RSS has proven to be essential. It has ceased to be an option; it has become a necessity.

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