What is RSS ?

RSS or 'Real Simple Syndication' is a method of ...

a) distributing your website content automatically to other readers on the Internet or
b) automatically receiving site content from different websites.

Why is it called 'Syndication'? Because in a way you and other "syndicate" content sending or receiving information via so called 'data feeds'.

When you publish health tips you can send them automatically to a number of subscribers (syndicate) every week. And if you would like to receive health tips from different websites you can receive those automtically via so called news RSS feeds to your desktop into your RSS reader.

RSS feeds have become famous for blogs because most professional blog software today generates these RSS feeds from your blog automatically, so you don't have to set them up yourself. Plus if you incorporate RSS feeds into your blog or website they are a way of creating content automatically.

Whether you are publishing or searching RSS feeds can save you a lot of time!

If you publish a new web page about a particular topic, you want others interested in that topic to know about it. By listing this 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".

 

Image Credits: Feedity.com

 

RSS is a great way to market to your web site to visitors.

Easier than email and highly efficient, RSS feeds keep visitors up to date on any sales, white papers, or other information as you add it to your site. Unlike email marketing, you don't have to wrestle with spam verification emails. RSS subscribers can opt-in and opt-out by themselves at any time, depending on their interests and the content of the feeds. And you can track many aspects of RSS and then use this information in making decisions about your site.

RSS feeds are also common with online newspapers. Rather than checking the newspaper's entire website several times a day, you can subscribe to RSS feeds for only those particular sections you're interested in—such as the sports page or the opinion page—and receive automatic updates when the content changes.

RSS feeds can offer you a number of business advantages. Not only is RSS a free and easy way to publicize your web site; RSS feeds can also work in tandem with Search Engine Marketing programs to bring more qualified traffic to your site. RSS is time-saving for your visitors, easy to use, and a great way to reach niche markets and avoid spam filter traps. Using RSS can improve your web analytics information, too—rather than returning to a web page again and again to check for updates, thus distorting your web traffic data, a visitor can simply subscribe to an RSS feed and be alerted automatically when site content changes.

RSS is sprouting all over the Web, connecting weblogs and providing news feeds. Originally developed by Netscape in 1999, RSS (which can stand for RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary, or Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format that allows web developers to describe and syndicate web site content. Using RSS files allows developers to create a data feed that supplies headlines, links, and article summaries from a web site. Other sites can then incorporate them into their pages automatically. Although RSS is in widespread use, people struggle with its confusing and sometimes conflicting documentation and versions.

 

RSS is a standardised way of presenting information so it can be read in various ways by people who are interested in your content.

If you come across this symbol on a web site it means that the site provides information in the RSS format. This may be news about companies, general news, product information, technical information. Basically anything that may be of interest to people who visit the site. The point of RSS is that, once the reader chooses to subscribe to this feed of information, they do not have to keep returning to the site to check for updates.

Each item in a feed will contain a title, a short extract of the story and a hyperlink to the web page containing the full details. This hyperlink is the most important element for a publisher as it drives the user back to your web site where you can tempt them with further offerings.

For the RSS subscriber it means they can get the information they want without having to subscribe to many newsletters which arrive in your inbox along with all the other junk mail.

 

How do you read RSS ?

RSS feeds are traditionally read using RSS Readers or so called Aggregators. These are software packages that you download from the web and install on your own PC. Once you install the reader you can select which RSS feeds you want to read and how often you want your reader to check for updates. Most readers will then notify you when a new topic appears in any of the feeds you have chosen to receive. You also can open your reader any time and new items will be highlighted.

RSS Feeds can also be read using branded desktop alerts which create a stronger link between publisher and consumer. These alerts also allow the user to control the feed content according to their preference.

 

RSS Publishers

The term publisher suggests a traditionally provider of news but producing RSS is important to any company that wishes to convey information be it to customers, their own staff, suppliers, electorate etc.

 

Image Credits: Rok Hrastnik, MarketingStudies

 

Areas where RSS can be Used by Marketers and Publishers

• Direct marketing
• E-zine publishing
• Search engine optimisation
• Lead generation
• Online publishing E-commerce
• Public relations
• Monetizing online content
• Customer Relationship Management
• Advertising Internal and team communications

 

Examples of Companies using RSS

• MarketingVOX is using RSS to deliver internet marketing news to their readers as it becomes available. Instead of having to wait to receive all the news in a single e-mail newsletter, RSS users get them as soon as they are ready.
  
  
• BTI Communications, a VoIP company achieved #1 search engine positions for their most important keywords in a highly staurated market, only using the power of RSS.
  
  
• Amazon.com is using RSS to announce their bestsellers and to help their users keep track of releases they are most interested in.
  
  
• Some affiliate managers already communicate with their affiliates using RSS.
  
  
• FindSavings.com uses RSS to deliver savings coupons and related information.
  
  
• Lockergnome uses RSS to provide visitors with the latest downloads and relevant software. Yet again other companies are using RSS to deliver product updates and patches directly to their customers, just as they become available.
  
  
• A few hundred content publishers are using RSS to deliver audio content, such as .mp3 interviews, “radio” shows and even audio messages to their customers.
  
  
• Textamerica.com allows people to post pictures, videos & text from their mobile phones and then make this content available via RSS feeds.
  
  
• Other companies are using RSS to deliver whitepapers and other educational content.
  
  
• One company uses RSS as a consulting billing awareness tool. The consultants create activity reports and the RSS feeds from the activity channels carry the billable information to the accounting staff for invoice preparation.
  
  
• Many internet publishers are using RSS to deliver their newsletters.
  
  
• Publish living digital catalogues of your products and provide your customers with your latest product releases, broken down by the categories they're interested in, and make it easy for them to order.
  
  
• Provide your affiliates and marketing partners with RSS feeds they can promote to their visitors to better promote your products and still make a commission. Amazon.com is already doing it. When are you starting?
  
  
• Create RSS autoresponders with scheduled messages, to keep in constant “marketing” contact with your prospects and slowly get them to the point of purchase.
  
  
• Provide limited-access content to your customers, employees, team members and even investors, without fearing other unwanted eyes.

 

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