Welcome to part 2 of the article that aims to give you just enough information to help you understand RSS and start using it.
Part 1 gave you simple instructions on how to read and subscribe to an RSS site feed, part 2 will give you simple instructions on how to publish your own.
Firstly, which websites can benefit from a site feed? Well, pretty much all of them.
If you provide a service, you could use a site feed to announce amendments and upgrades.
If you sell stuff, you could use a site feed to announce new products and special offers.
And if you own a website or web log that is regularly updated with news of any description, a site feed is virtually a necessity.
Site feeds may not be exactly commonplace at present but don't doubt for a moment that their popularity is growing. If you get a site feed up and running now, you'll be ahead of the game for some time to come and offer a friendly alternative to email communication.
Site feeds are usually written in a code called XML. If you view the code for a site feed it will look a little like HTML.
You could:
-- Learn the language and write your own site feed. Each time you want to add an update, just update your site feed page.
-- Buy some fancy software that writes and updates the site feed for you.
-- Or? setup a site feed online that automatically updates, for free in about 20 minutes.
Third option sound good? Ok, start by setting up your own blog at Blogger.
This is free to do and, if you want, they will even host it for you in exchange for a couple of banners at the top of the blog. The great thing about Blogger is that it works in tandem with the Google Toolbar.
Found a website you want to note in your blog? Click the icon in your Google Toolbar and it's taken care of.
Everytime you add or change something on your website, record it in your blog so individuals and search engines viewing your blog can be made aware of it.
The other great thing about Blogger is that it automatically creates and updates a site feed for you. Everytime you post a message to your blog, this is added to your site feed as well.
You can get the address of your site feed from the Blogger control panel by visiting the section marked "Settings" and selecting "Site Feed".
Now you know the web address of your site feed, you are free to add it to your homepage, submit it to RSS directories, anything you want.
But wait, before you rush off, you'll want to know how to track visits to your site feed.
This bit is even easier. Just convert your site feed address into a FeedBurner address.
Go to: www.feedburner.com and enter the address of your site feed into the box marked "Feed URL:", then click "Next >>".
Play around with some of the options and at the end of it you will have a new site feed address that looks something like this:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/yourwebsitename Now advertise this site feed address instead of the site feed address Blogger gave you. It will do exactly the same thing, except now you can login to FeedBurner and view statistics on how often your site feed page is visited.
Among other things, FeedBurner will also:
-- Dress your site feed up so when someone views it in their normal internet browser it will explain what it is instead of just showing the source code.
-- Tweak the code of your site so it can be read by all RSS readers, even those that only support ATOM.
All done? Let's recap:
You now know how to identify, view and subscribe to an RSS feed.
You now have a blog you can submit to blog directories that allows people and search engines to see updates to your website.
And you have a site feed address you can submit to RSS directories and advertise on your website. Visitors to your website can subscribe to your feed and never miss anything new you have to offer.
And you thought this would be hard? Next week, understanding quantum theory and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in five easy steps.
David Congreave is owner of The Nettle Ezine, the newsletter for the home business -- online.
David lives in Leeds, in the United Kingdom with his wife Leanne.
While syndication has many applications, we will deal specifically with... Read More
Blogs were originally only meant to be 'Web Logs', or... Read More
If you are fairly new to the Internet, you have... Read More
What is a weblog, well simply put a weblog is... Read More
In recent years, it's been pretty obvious that "blogging" (Web... Read More
Blogs, the abbreviation of Web Logs (online journals), are becoming... Read More
1. Place all your feeds on the following website and... Read More
Benefits of Writing Articles:1. Every Webmaster would like to publish... Read More
There are nowhere near the amount of webmasters using RSS... Read More
Unfortunately, this formerly reliable method of getting listed in Yahoo... Read More
Blogs are becoming more and more popular. The word "blog"... Read More
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is the perfect answer to... Read More
What does RSS stand for?RSS "Really Simple Syndication" was created... Read More
As RSS news syndication gains popularity among users, new ways... Read More
There's no denying it, the Internet has changed. The change... Read More
We all know that in the world of online internet... Read More
What The Hell Is A Blog Anyway?The word 'blog' is... Read More
Bloggers blog. That's what they do. A blog is short... Read More
If you're wondering how to get started with RSS marketing,... Read More
I was sitting in my local Internet Cafe yesterday, I... Read More
Blogs, are often defined as frequent and ongoing publications of... Read More
Many internet marketers are still wondering whether to start marketing... Read More
In case you haven't heard, the net is buzzing with... Read More
Has Google finally embraced RSS with their new XML powered... Read More
What in the world is up with the world of... Read More
We have now entered the world of blogs! Sounds kind... Read More
Search engines are after one thing ? providing their users... Read More
"RSS" stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a new... Read More
In today's online world of high-speed websites and giant portals,... Read More
... if not months to come.At a distinctive and stable... Read More
Literature is the soul of the wit. The best source... Read More
I still consider myself to be a blog writing novice... Read More
It's fair to say that blogging has taken the Internet... Read More
Blogs like all forms of writing are an art form... Read More
What is RSS? To begin with, it's one of those... Read More
I've spent months answering questions from marketers about blogs and... Read More
Marketers are constantly asking if RSS marketing works and if... Read More
-- What Is A BlogA blog (or web log as... Read More
Businesses that are not using feeds today, as part of... Read More
RSS feeds and blogs (and blog and pinging) are part... Read More
The recent spurt of interest in blogging has begun to... Read More
So who should I use RSS Feeds? How can it... Read More
It seems like everyone is talking about RSS Feeds. They've... Read More
Blogs Are the NEW Secret Weapon for Reaching Your Tarket.... Read More
Recently I did an interview with a well known email... Read More
How to blog to make money from it?Truly the whole... Read More
Unless you've been under a rock for the last year,... Read More
Writing?Blogs?Blogs are on-line journals where people express themselves through writing.... Read More
In the middle 1990's everyone started talking about needing a... Read More
Welcome to part 2 of the article that aims to... Read More
It has been said that blogging will be the new... Read More
(This article assumes that you have already set up a... Read More
Budget marketing with blogs is one of today's top methods... Read More
Microsoft recently announced that they will be releasing a new... Read More
I don't claim to be a futurologist or an RSS... Read More
Blogs have been around for many years but have recently... Read More
A blog is an online journal in which the author... Read More
Journal writing used to be a private, personal experience done... Read More
What are Blogs?Having heard the term previously but not having... Read More
"RSS" stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is a new... Read More
What is a weblog, well simply put a weblog is... Read More
For some it's just a fun thing to do, while... Read More
There seems to be a huge craze lately with everyone... Read More
Literature is the soul of the wit. The best source... Read More
It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can't... Read More
The items covered here are:1) Don't Wait before Blogging.2) Using... Read More
Blogging, RSS & Feeds |