RSS Data Feed Essentials

By now, I think most of you have at least seen those little orange RSS data feed buttons on various websites. This article will briefly discuss how they work and how you can create your own RSS data feed so that visitors can subscribe to your web content.

RSS allows you to syndicate your web content so that others can subscribe. Why would anyone want to do this? Let me give you an example. Suppose you are interested in jazz piano. You have five different jazz piano websites you like, but not all of them have new content every single day.

It can be a little time consuming to have to check all five of those websites on a regular basis in order to determine what new content has been posted. So, by subscribing to each site's RSS data feed, you no longer have to proactively check each site for new content. Instead, any new content comes to you. This makes it very easy to keep on top of your favorite websites - and you don't even have to give your email address in order to subscribe.

What is an RSS Data Feed?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." This method of communication uses a markup language known as XML. Think of XML as a specialized form of HTML. It's formulated to allow special readers (known as aggregate readers or RSS readers) to translate the file into a summary of content.

If you subscribed to the RSS feeds of three different cooking sites, your RSS reader would display summaries of any new content published from all three sites. If you wanted to read the full article on any of the summaries given, you would simply click on the article title within your RSS reader and you would be taken to the site's actual web page to read the full content.

RSS Feed Subscriptions

Before you actually subscribe to an RSS data feed, you need to have some way of converting the feed to readable text on your computer. One way to do this is to download and install an RSS reader. Here are two free readers you can download.

Windows--Google Reader

Mac--NewsGator

If, for whatever reason, you don't want to install new software on your computer, there are other ways to get RSS delivered. Some search engines like Yahoo! or Google let you customize the search engine's landing page to include your RSS feed subscriptions. Some email client systems like Windows Live have an RSS reader built in. There are many ways to subscribe to a feed but, in the end, it's simply a matter of personal preference.

Once you have decided just how your feeds will be delivered, it's time to actually subscribe to some content. Find a site you like that offers an RSS feed. You will typically find feed buttons on a site's home page. The first thing to look for is the RSS feed symbol. It will usually be a square or rectangular orange bar similar to the one shown below.

Depending on just how you wish to subscribe to the feed, you may also see one or more of the following feed buttons.

In many cases, just clicking on the RSS data feed icon will take you to subscription page where you can grab the feed address and paste it into your reader.

Another way to get the feed address is to right-click (or control-click) on the orange feed button and select either "copy Link" or "copy link location." This allows you to paste the link into the Feed URL box of your reader.

Here's a step-by-step example of how someone would subscribe to my RSS feed using the free Google Reader.

Step 1: Right-click (or control-click) on the orange RSS data feed button and select "Copy Link Location". On some browsers, the selection may be named "Copy Link."

Step 2: In the Google Reader, paste the URL you copied from the previous step into the "Add Subscription" box.

Note that the RSS feed URL that you copy in Step 1 should end with the ".xml" extension. This is how you know you are copying an RSS feed. After you have pasted the feed URL into your reader of choice, you are finished. Now, whenever you go to your reader, it will automatically update every feed you have subscribed to in order to summarize new content. If, after reading the content summary, you wish to read the full article, you can simply click on the content title to be taken to the actual site.

It's quick, simple, easy and fun!

Creating an RSS Feed

I recommend every small business owner include an RSS data feed on their site. If you've followed the advice given in The Integral Marketing System™, you will already have set in motion your content-based business website. The next step is to allow people to subscribe to your content.

You could create your own XML file by hand but I certainly don't recommend this method. It's easier to use a software program to create the feed for you automatically. I highly recommend you purchase an RSS feed creation program called Feed For All. The current cost is $40 and there are versions for both the PC and Mac. The best part of this software is the ease with which you can create your feed and publish it on your site. Highly Recommended!

One final word. There are several types of RSS feeds. These days, RSS readers are adept at reading just about all RSS formats. Because of this, I have stayed away from a discussion of the various RSS formats such as RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0 and Atom. Your feed can be based on any of these formats and still be readable by integrated and stand-alone RSS readers. The feed creation program I recommended above (Feed For All) uses RSS 2.0, which is a very popular and widely used format.

After creating your feed, you can run it through Google's Feedburner service in order to obtain some great RSS tools to help publicize your feed.

In summary, RSS feeds are a great way to have content come to you. Because you don't have to give up your email to subscribe, RSS feeds have become a popular method of keeping on top of interesting website content. Make it easy for your visitors to keep current with your website content. Start planning your own RSS data feed today!