What is RSS, and how can you benefit by using it?

First of all, before I get into the details about what RSS is, I'd like to just say that as simple as it appears on the surface, RSS, which is based on the XML language, is rather strict.  (It spanked me good before I got it right.)  Because I'm still fairly new to it, you'll probably want to check back to this page for updates, as I'll most certainly be adding to it.

When you do come back, make sure you clear your cache and refresh the page, otherwise the changes may not apper to you.  If you have any questions on that little procedure, just go through my contact page and I'll be happy to walk you through it.

RSS - Directly Communicating With Your Market

Although not a new technology (at least not in internet terms), RSS/XML is a method of posting your information on the internet in a way that the folks who are interested in what you have to say can, with a small piece of software called an RSS feed reader, "pull" your information directly to them.

This is quite a change from the traditional "push" method of email advertising.  While email marketing is far from dead, in my opinion the red tape that goes along with it has gotten so debilitating that many marketers, including me, have added the functionality of RSS technology to their arsenal of communication techniques.  With RSS, your audience places you on their list rather than vice-versa.

One of the benefits of this type of communication is that when you update your information (your feed), you are updating it in real time.  You're not waiting for a cron job in most cases, or relying on someone else to send out a batch of new mail.  You type in what you want to say, publish it, and boom, they're reading what you just wrote.

There is a huge assortment of information on the various aspects of RSS/XML and how to use it, that you're welcome to dig through in a variety of locations on the net.  If you're somewhat technically inclined, you may just want to do it that way.  I'm a bit inclined in that respect, but I've got so bloody much going on that I really didn't have the time to do the required research.  And I guarantee, it would take a good chunk of time if starting from scratch.  So what I've done is gone through someone else who's already done the research.  I'd go into more detail here, but to be real with you, I'm still climbing the old learning curve myself.  I don't really need to, because I've gotten a couple feeds working, but I still have enough geek in my lineage that I rather enjoy the challenge;-)

If you want to do your own research, you can go to any search engine and plug in RSS, XML, feed reader(s), and the like.  You'll come up with enough information to choke a university.

Let me forewarn you though; pay particularly close attention to the publishing protocols, or you could end up shooting yourself in the foot where the search engine come into play.

That was another reason I sought out someone who already had a handle on the situation.  I can make enough mistakes all on my own (thank you very much), with this much "stuff" I just felt more comfortable getting it from someone "in the know."

So if you'd rather go at it in the same fashion I did, go and see Tinu at Feed Me!

She has some good, free info that will help you get started down that road to creating your first feed, as well as a good course you can purchase if you want to "get up and go, now"!

P.S.  Don't forget to check back here to see what I've added.

Dave

P.P.S. - Once you've taken the first step of getting yourself a reader, come back to the little box below, copy the link from my orange XML links, and plug them into your reader.  That way you can keep tabs on whatever I happen to run across or create that I think readers like you will find interesting, beneficial, or therapudic.  (Remember to laugh occasionally.  It's good for what ails you.)

The Need 4 Feed!