Everyday more and more websites, news services and blogs are adding RSS content. RSS is a method of syndicating content.The concept of aggregating content in one central location or repository is very appealing. Consumers have become tired of push technology, RSS allows users the flexibility to regain control of their content. RSS feed creators provide content without forcing it on consumers. In fact with RSS consumers are able to choose the content they wish to view.
How to Make an RSS Feed
RSS feeds contain what are referred to as “items”. The items are usually connected in some way and contain a common theme or other similarity.
The following feed http://www.notepage.net/feed.xml contains eight items. The items are all SMS and paging related news articles that would likely benefit someone interested in the wireless market.
Each item contains:
title
description
link
The title and description should be written to describe the content and the link should reference the webpage that contains that actual content.
Like html, the xml file uses open and close tags to designate the title, description and link. Tags are enclosed in brackets , like standard html and the close tag contains a forward slash /.
The following is what an item in a xml file looks like:
The Title Goes Here
The description goes here
http://www.linkgoeshere.com
As I mentioned earlier, an RSS feeds contains items and like the tags above, an open and close tag is used to distinguish between items.
The Title Goes Here
The description goes here
http://www.linkgoeshere.com
Another Title Goes Here
Another description goes here
http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com
Now an RSS Feed is a series of items, these items are chained together to create what is called a “Channel”.
The Channel appears at the top of the file and tells people how the items relate to each other. Like items channels use title, description and link tags to describe its content. The open channel tag occurs before the first item and the close tag occurs after the last item.
The Channel Title Goes Here
The explanation of how the items are related goes here
http://www.directoryoflinksgohere
The Title Goes Here
The description goes here
http://www.linkgoeshere.com
Another Title Goes Here
Another description goes here
http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com
Finally you will need to designate the file by indicating it is an XML file by inserting xml and rss defining tags at the beginning and at the very end.
The Channel Title Goes Here
The explanation of how the items are related goes here
http://www.directoryoflinksgohere
The Title Goes Here
The description goes here
http://www.linkgoeshere.com
Another Title Goes Here
Another description goes here
http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com
When you save the file be sure to save it as an xml file.
Warning
If you create the file using Dreamweaver or a similar tool becareful that it does not strip out tags it feels are redundant. In order to be be an RSS feed your file needs at bare minimum that tags that were discussed above, and the file will not be valid if tags are stripped out.
I found a cool little free program that helped in xml file creation called First Object Editor http://www.firstobject.com/
Validation
As my math teacher use to say, check your work! Once your file is complete and uploaded einter it into the feed validator at http://feedvalidator.org
Syndication / Submission
If you’ve made it this far you are in good shape it is time to “syndicate” your content! Submit your RSS feed (the xml file you created) to sites just like you would submit a web page. Some of the more popular sites that accept RSS files can be found under “Post RSS Feed”
About The Author
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.small-business-software.net
I entered the blogosphere fairly late in the game. More than
three years after starting and managing several busy forums and
web sites, I dabbled with blogging through regular entries to
one of my aviation web sites. Within weeks I got tired of the
discipline - not of writing - but of ftp’ing everything to the
web. I gave up as I decided blogging wasn’t for me.
Fortunately, I didn’t stay away as I saw a challenge, and an
opportunity, in front of me. Having blogged on other people’s
sites, I felt that if I could blog there, I could blog
anywhere, including on my own blogs. Taking a look at my
options, I decided to download WordPress and I now run two blogs
from two separate web sites.
I am thrilled with each blog’s success and have no plans of
giving up on what I am doing. In fact, I am mulling over
starting a couple of more blogs as I see the value of this type
of medium online.
So, how are my site’s doing? Very well according to my sites’
statistics. No, there isn’t much activity as far as comments go,
but my information is getting read and the blogs are bringing
additional traffic to both sites. Let’s just say that the
traffic increases alone have been enough to keep me going, but
other factors weigh in including:
Blurbs - There are times when a full length article just
doesn’t cut it, but a blurb [pithy paragraph] does. Blogs are
great for showcasing tidbits of information and allowing
bloggers to link to the full article if more information is
desired.
Links - On my Jet Movements blog, I added over 200
aviation related links recently. Within days, traffic to my site
increased and the first page rankings came back from Google.
Less than six weeks after starting, the traffic to this
particular blog has been great.
Showcase - My second blog, The Article Writer, has helped
me communicate better to my customers. Now, my customers can
read about my writing style, my comments on raising SEO, book
reviews, and more. This blog has given a “human touch” to an
otherwise good, but too-business-like web site.
Idea Farm - Some of my blogs have turned into articles as
I have taken a short, concise work and expanded on what I wrote
through an article. Saves me time, too, as all I have to do is
add a couple of extra paragraphs and my article is usually done.
Yes, blogging is a great way to communicate for business folks
as well as teens. Some have thought that blogging was a fad, but
I must say that it isn’t and it is certainly here to stay. Have
you started your blog yet?
You spend hours every day with your weblog. It’s become a labor
of love. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a way to earn some extra
money with your weblog?
There are ways of making money online with blogs. The method
you’ve probably seen on most blogs is to host ads, such as with
Google Adsense. You let Google put their ads on your site and
get paid when people click on the ads. These get mixed reviews.
Some say they make a lot this way, but many people don’t report
much income. Since they are free to ad to your site, it doesn’t
hurt to try.
Affiliate programs work on blogs as well as they work on
websites. Affiliate with companies that sell products related to
your site. When people click on the link in your blog and
purchase a product, you profit. This is another way of making
money online with blogs that doesn’t cost you anything. If you
are passionate about a product and write about it, this can work
well.
If you have a website, blog about some aspect of it and provide
a link. Your weblog can effectively sell the product, and all
the customer has to do is click to your site and order it.
You will never make money with your blog unless people can find
it. Search engines seem to prefer blogs because they tend to be
content rich. It helps to stick to one topic. If your blog
serves a niche market, it will have less competition.
All of the methods above are very effective and will make you
money, the one thing that has to be remembered is that if your
blog is hosted somewhere else other than your server, you will
have to be careful not to spam your site with ads.
Everyone knows that Blogs are the future of the internet, they
are search engine friendly and get listed very quickly, which is
why many people are hosting their blogs on their own servers now
because they see the importance to their business. The last
thing any Internet Business Owner wants to happen is that their
blog is shut down at Blogger or any other free blog hosting site.
Making money online with blogs is possible. Consider your blog
as another avenue for making money online with little or no
cost. Write about what you love, market your blog, and see if
the money will follow.