RSS, Feeds, and Aggregators

When you work online all the time, immersed in bits and bytes, hands automatically resting on the keyboard, where the lingua franca is a mish-mash of acronyms and abbreviations - it is easy to forget that the average person has no clue what we talk about. It can be very daunting for the Internet neophyte with all these terms, technology and hardware. That's why I wrote this. Because I don't want people to be afraid to either ask (via comments on this thread) or to click/use buttons they don't know or use.

Way back when I started blogging (6-7 months ago!), I was a complete n00b in these blogging terms too. Now while I'm not exactly the lead programmer at RSS central I do know a thing or two, but when I really think about it I'm only just paddling at the moment so maybe I can help others get into the paddling pool too!

RSS

Really Simple Syndication, let's break it down into the real basics. It is essentially a broken down look at the web page/site, stripping all the presentation and layout, and removing all the neat graphics and cool toys that generally clutter webpages. What's left is an RSS file (in XML format).

Surprisingly out of 1,000 blog readers (who are themselves a small elite minority among Internet users) 66% have not even heard of RSS and 23% said they understood but did not use it. Where do you stand?

Feeds

This is just a another way of writing what RSS can do. Feeds are a blog's (or site's) method of syndicating content, arranged concisely in an XML format and, as mentioned above, stripped of any extraneous presentation. The "feed" comes from aggregators requesting that RSS file to display as content for their subscribers (feeding their need for your well-written articles!).

Aggregators

It's a straightforward description for what it is: it aggregates RSS feeds from whatever source you tell it. These are also sometimes called "newsreaders" although this term is falling out of favor.

There are two types: software and web-based. Software has a following - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_news_aggregators#Desktop_news_aggregators, but web-based is beginning to draw more of the usage. Rapidly expanding online aggregators such as http://www.bloglines.com/, or http://my.yahoo.com/ are leading the way. With blog traffic up 31 percent since the beginning of the year, readers will need a way to sort through the blogosphere, and aggregators are that way.

The main advantage of aggregators is that they allow you to gather all your feeds in one place, and read them without having to navigate all over the place.

Adding Your Feed

You will have noticed button labeled RSS, often times they are orange rectangles (they are also labeled XML). That is the feed button - clicking it will show a lot of XML code. Note the URI, copy it. Then go to your aggregator, software or web-based, and paste that URI as the feed address and save. That will allow the aggregator to know where to fetch the feed and it will do it automatically from that point on.

What's The Advantage?

A big advantage to RSS is that you, the subscriber, is in control. Let's say you go to xyz.com and look for an article on Blogging software. You find it, but there are advertising banners, fly-ins, pop-ups, and then just as annoying you have to click three or four times to go to the "next page" with yet more of the same. With a feed (and appropriate aggregator) you get just the article (content) without all of the extra stuff.

The Future of RSS

So what is in store for us with RSS? I don't have a crystal ball but some things are plain to see. The future of RSS is bright and yet at the same time likely to be mired in specification wars, mainly due to Microsoft's insistence that they rename RSS to 'web feeds' for the upcoming IE7 release. You can read more about this hotly debated subject at http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/76104/microsoft-defends-rss-rebranding.html and at http://www.microsoftmonitor.com/archives/009849.html

There is no doubt though that RSS is here to stay. It has become an integral part of the blogosphere, a method of aggregating large amounts of content from hundreds of blogs into one place. From a blogger's point of view RSS is essential to building and keeping an audience. Wary of clicking on subscriptions, Internet users finally have a way to grab your content (updated every day, right?) when they want it. For the blogger they now have a way to syndicate their articles, sharing them among other sites who publish those articles. Those who syndicate get content, and the blogger gets exposure.

Richard Dows is a web designer living in Florida, working on small businesses, blogs, site design, and more. You can find him working on his own blog at http://www.thex.com/rd/ or writing and participating in others like http://www.balancednewsblog.com/ and http://www.thex.com/webstandards/

---

RSS Explained

What is RSS? To begin with, it's one of those... Read More

Build a Website Using Blog Software

Have you thought about how easily you could build and... Read More

Steps To Creating and Promoting RSS Feeds

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication as it is commonly known,... Read More

Marketing With Blogs - Part 3

In part 1 and part 2 of this article series... Read More

What Are RSS Feeds?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It's a format that... Read More

Using RSS for Publishing and Syndication

There are two reasons why you would want to use... Read More

What Is This RSS, XML, RDF, and Atom Business?

It's been a long day at work and you're... Read More

Just Tag It!

Tags - Revolutionary or Just Folly?Just another trend or something... Read More

Building Backlinks With Blogs

The most boring part of getting traffic to a website... Read More

RSS Meets the Needs of Direct Marketers

Contrary to general opinion, RSS meets the needs of even... Read More

Internet News Services Explode Online

It seems no matter how much information comes available online,... Read More

RSS, Feeds, and Aggregators

When you work online all the time, immersed in bits... Read More

12 Reasons Why You Need A Blog

"Why Should I Blog? I Simply Don't Get It"This post... Read More

Blogging on Ecademy Will Boost Your Web Site

For many people blogging is the way in which they... Read More

Why Every Site Needs RSS

RSS or 'Really Simple Syndication' is not just for Blogs... Read More

Should Bloggers be Helping Google Fix Their PageRank System?

By now, most bloggers have heard the announcement that the... Read More

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Web logs, commonly referred to as "blogs," represent all the... Read More

So You Have a Blog, Now What Do You Do With It? Blog Basics

(This article assumes that you have already set up a... Read More

If an RSS Feed is the Yahoo Backdoor, is a Blog Google?s?

Though the answer is in a book I wrote this... Read More

Blogging Policies, Does Your Business Need One?

Weblogs or Blogs as they are more commonly referred to,... Read More

Blog and Ping: The Basics!

The buzz words on the internet at the moment are... Read More

Top 10 Reasons to Start Blogging

"What's blogging?" you ask."Where have you been?" I reply...just kidding,... Read More

How To Create A Blog

A blog is an online diary or as some people... Read More

How Yahoos Recent Facelift Can Mean More Traffic To Your Site

It even surprised me. Yes, even though I have... Read More

Blogs Explained

It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can't... Read More

Sales Marketing: Secrets To Using Blogs (Online Diaries) To Increase Your sales And Profits

These days, everybody is blogging.How about you?You can incorporate blogging... Read More

Using Feedburner to Add Statistics to Your RSS Feed

Out of many of the free RSS and blogging services... Read More

Marketers Still Dont Get RSS Metrics - How We Really Can Measure RSS

Even after all that's been written and explained, even reputable... Read More

How to Reel in Web Site Visitors by Building Your Own Blog

I know, I know, blog this...blog that. Seems like everyone... Read More

Real Estate Marketing with RSS

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an increasingly popular marketing method... Read More

6 Reasons Why RSS Beats Email Marketing

A brand new marketing tool predicted to replace email is... Read More

Internet Communication

Email, Instant Messaging, Blogs, RSS, Forums and Listservs: What's Next?How... Read More

Blog Your Affiliate Links

Blogging is a relatively new form of communication, closely related... Read More