|
RSS Basics - "Really Simple Syndication"
Copyright © Richard Hopkins - All Rights Reserved
http://rjsinformation.com
====================
Using this fairly new "Internet Headline" Service, you can
track all kinds of news from many different sources, without
jamming up your inbox, or wasting time checking out a ton of
websites. RSS really is a simple way to syndicate!
Getting Started..........
This news will arrive as headlines with short abstract
summaries. You'll have one-click access to the entire
article, through an RSS reader, called an aggregator. If
you've never used an aggregator before today and it's your
first time, you can go to www.bloglines.com to set up your
free account.
First you'll need an RSS feed to add to Bloglines. Bloglines
will make a few suggestions. You can also unsubscribe to
most of those provided, and go looking for your own.
Next, look for the address to the RSS feed. This is the
address you'll be using to add to Bloglines. Once this step
is completed, you'll need to add a feed to Bloglines.
Now You're Ready to Add a Feed!
Inside Bloglines, you'll see: "Manage Subscriptions."
Follow this link, and where it says, "URL", pop in the full
URL, including the "resource.xml" part. Click the
"Subscribe" button. Forget OPL and Folder for now. You'll
understand those later on, after you gain some basic
experience.
NOW It's Time to Read the Feed!
1. Read the headlines and summaries from the blogs you
subscribed to. Some blogs supply full text of their entries,
and some will provide images.
2. You should now be at the main reading window for
Bloglines. Your selection will be on the left, in the
subscription pane. Click on the title. The summaries of the
feeds will be displayed on the right.
Tools for Digging Up Blogs and Feeds!
You might want to try other aggregators. Most aggregators
are software that you'll install on your computer. Some of
them like Bloglines, are Web-based tools.
How Can You Use Feeds?
There are positives and negatives if you decide to use RSS
Feeds. RSS puts subscription control into the subscriber's
lap. They can keep their email addresses and this can be
important, if privacy issues concern them. If they want to
unsubscribe, all they have to do is delete the feed from
their reader. There are no spam issues to deal with and
filters are not a problem.
The Drawbacks:
1. You can't personalize!
2. You won't know how many people subscribed to your feed!
RSS Feeds have not been widely accepted but they are gaining
in popularity. If you update certain parts of your website
on a frequent basis, RSS feeds may interest you.
Newsletters, ezines, news, alerts and updates, can also be
sent as RSS Feeds.
NEED to Find More Feeds?
Sites often advertise their RSS feeds with a link labeled
"Syndicate," or a little rectangular orange icon that says
"XML." There are quite a few places to find more feeds. One
useful place is: http://MyRSS.com
It's fun to create custom search feeds -- and once you start
looking around, you'll see that they're already becoming
very popular. If you're truly interested in a simple way to
syndicate your news, RSS might be exactly what you need!
------------------
About The Author:
Richard Hopkins is the owner and webmaster of RJ's
Information.com, a site dedicated to helping the netpreneur
make an informed choice when creating an online presence.
To receive free ebooks and also obtain access to his
subscribers' only web page. Just visit his website at
http://rjsinformation.com and sign up for the biweekly
I-Spy Newsletter.
This article may be reprinted freely as long as the
reference box remains intact.
|
