RSS & How to Use It (part 1)

Have you ever read an article, intended to explain RSS in simple terms that, begins well, but soon descends into confusing jargon or information overload?

If so, take heart, I was in the same place a few months ago.

Often the best way to understand something, is to use it. RSS is no exception.

So rather than try and create a definitive explanation of RSS, this article will tell you how to use it. I guarantee once youve done so, everything will that much clearer.

If a website you visit utilizes RSS, there are a number of ways it will communicate this.

The most common way is to show a little orange button with the letters XML.

Alternatively, you may see words such as "ATOM", "RSS", "Site Feed" or variations on these.

What they have in common is that they will link to a webpage that, in most browsers, looks like gibberish.

It doesnt matter one way or another, what is important is the address of the web page they link to.

To demonstrate, I will relate how to read a site feed for my website, The Nettle Blog. Dont confuse RSS with blogs (web logs). They are two separate concepts. The only reason you see them together so often, is that blogs are the perfect website to take advantage of site feeds. More on that later. Here we go

Click on thislink to go the site feed for The Nettle Blog. Ignore the content in the window, just make a note of the URL in the web address bar. It should read: http://feeds.feedburner.com/thenettle

Now youve got the web address for the site feed, keep it safe somewhere. Youll need it again in a moment.

The next step is to use an RSS reader to make sense of the site feed. There are lots of these available and if you are a heavy user you would probably want to purchase a nice piece of software.

But to begin with, start with something simple and free. Start with Bloglines.

Go to www.bloglines.com/register/ and create a new account.

From the "My Feeds" section of your account you can add new site feeds you want to keep track of.

Select "ADD", enter the URL you copied and hit "Subscribe". You can preview the results, but skip that stage for now. Select "Subscribe" again and the title of the site feed will be transferred to the left-hand window.

Well done. You have now subscribed to your first RSS feed.

To read it just click on the title and you can view all the messages in that feed within a selected time period. The feed will most likely record news related to the website the feed belongs to.

In this instance, the site feed to The Nettle Blog records each new entry to my blog. If you find something of interest, most entries have a clickable link you can follow.

Anytime you find a website you like with a site feed, make a note of the URL for that site feed and add it to your Bloglines folder.

Now comes the clever bit.

In the left-hand column of your account is an "Extras" list. Select Download Notifier and choose the correct file to download the Bloglines Notifier This file is only 100k so any half-decent connection should complete the download in just a few seconds.

If the download is successful, you should see a small, blue icon with the letter "B". Double-clicking it will short-cut you to Bloglines.

Right-click on the icon and you can adjust the settings. Specify how often you want Bloglines to check messages for you.

When Bloglines checks your site feeds and finds that one or more have been updated, a little chime will play and the Bloglines icon will show a little red marker. This means one of the feeds you have subscribed to has something new to say.

So there you have it. A spam-free, hassle-free way to keep track of websites you have an interest in. Providing of course, that they have a site feed. If they dont, ask them why not.

Part two of this article will show webmaster and ezine publishers how they can easily publish a site feed for their website and track the visitors, free of charge.

Pay Per Click Services
Ethical Seo Firm Gabon
Estonia Seo Consultant
Affiliate Management Software Programs
Fast Make Money Online
Earn Extra Money San Diego
Search Engine Optimization Seo Mammothconglomerate
Web Site Domain Name Advertising Click Engine Pay Per Search
Free Blogging
Search Engine Optimization Seo Submission Link Popularity
Career Fair Search Engines
Seo Marketing Search Engine Optimization Company Meta
Ebook Make Money Fast Home Based Business Ebay Selling
Greensboro Search Engine Optimization
Debt Consolidation Affiliate Programs
Make Money At Home Aus Online Auction
Google Adsense Articles
Make Free Money At Home
Blogging Hit Counter
Earn Money Selling Websites
Google Page Rank Firefox
Clickbank Gabeet Hop Jake01 Net
Make Money In Stock Market Pay Per Click
Easy Ways To Make Money From Home
Easy Ways To Make Money Online 3
Make Money Advertising On The Internet
Google Adsense Payment
Christian Web Hosting Affiliate Programs
Cocomment Script On Blogger
Ads Script Like Google Adsense
How To Make Money On The Internet Interest Credit
Google Adsense Money System
Google Pagerank Promotion Submission Web Site
Affiliate Marketing Internet Marketing Strategy Home Based
Free Google Page Rank Script
Seo Services Search Engine Optimization Company
Craps Golden Nugget Palms Pay Per Click Spotlightvegascom
Affiliate Program Management
Canada Pharmacy Drugs Affiliate Programs Canadian
Best Internet Businesses
Ebook Harry Potter
Press Charges For Spamming
Make Money At Home Stuffing Envelope
Web Site Marketing Ebook
Free Money Making Programs Online
Webmaster Utilities
E Commerce Web Site Shopping Cart Freeware Cool Blogger
How To Make Money Online Start Making Money At Home
Marketing Site Web Seo Expert Meta Tag Optimization Services
Organic Search Engine Optimization
Make Money With Rss Feeds
Make A Money Tree
Tbnjvr0wh7uywwjphotos1 Blogger Comimg282916640g Mm Jpg
Internet Marketing Strategy Web Site Promotion
Multi Level Network Marketing Mlm Program Tip
Adult Affiliate Programs
Online Pharmacy Home Business
Internet Marketing Jobs Home Based Businesses
Make Fast Money Work Online From Home Workfromhomemoneyinfo
Quick And Easy Ways To Make Money In Runescape2
Online Make Fast Easy Money
Network Marketing Opportunity
Auto Blogging
Ways To Make Fast Easy Quick Money Online
How To Earn Easy Money
Free Internet Marketing Ebook
Home Based Business Affiliate Program Internet Marketing
Design Site Web Internet Marketing Seo Theonlinepromoters
Clickbank Search
Blogger Picture
Marketing And Internet Promotion Strategy
Blogger Job Opportunities Research Triangle Park
Ways For 13 Year Olds To Make Money
Seo Optimization San Diego
Search Blogger
Free Grant Form Online For Businesses
Optimization Seo Tool
Web Site Affiliate Program Uk
Affiliate Programs For Online Insurance Sales
Ways To Make Money Online For College
Click Engine Pay Per Search Software Design Hostin
Blogger Blog Software
Easy Way To Make Money
A Make Money At Home
Intelligent Internet Marketing Strategy
Digital Content Products Ingram
Ways To Really Make Money Online
Cashculture Work At Home Business Opportunity Make Money
Hispanic Radio Advertising For Dentists
Blogging In The Workplace
Paid Blogging
Make Money Selling How To Books Cd27s Dvds At Home
Internet Advertising Company
Zofan Inc Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization Seo
Hop Clickbank Net Package Hosting Cheap Web Weddin
Brainard Web Site Marketing
How Do I Make Money Online Free Survey
Work At Home Business Opportunities Weblog How Bloggers Make
Article Based Business Home Internet Resourxe Work
Affiliate Best Product Program Quality Rated Top