What are the RSS Tools?
RSS is an
abbreviation which has evolved into these, depending on their versions:
- RDF
Site Summary (also known as RSS 0.9; the first version of RSS)
- Rich
Site Summary (also known as RSS 0.91; a prototype)
- Really
Simple Syndication (also known as RSS 2.0)
Today, RSS
stands for 'Really Simple Syndication', and it has the following 7 existing
formats or versions:
- 0.90
- 0.91
- 0.92
- 0.93
- 0.94
- 1.0
- 2.0
RSS tools refer
to a group of file formats that are designed to share headlines and other web
content (this may be a summary or simply 1 to 2 lines of the article), links to
the full versions of the content (the full article or post), and even file
attachments such as multimedia files. All of these data is delivered in the
form of an XML file (XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language), which has the
following common names:
- RSS
feed
- Webfeed
- RSS
stream
- RSS
channel
They are
typically shown on web pages as an orange rectangle that usually has the
letters XML or RSS in it.
RSS feeds can be
used to deliver any kind of information. Some of these 'feeds' include:
- Blogs
feed - each blog entry is summarized as a feed item. This makes blog posts
easier to scan, enabling 'visitors' to zoom in on their items of interest.
- Article
feed - this alerts readers whenever there are new articles and web
contents available.
- Forum
feed - this allows users to receive forum posts and latest discussion
topics.
- Schedule
feed - this allows users (such as schools, clubs, and other organizations)
to broadcast events and announce schedule changes or meeting agendas.
- Discounts
or Special feed - this is used to enable users (such as retail and online
stores) to 'deliver' latest specials and discounted offers.
- Ego
or News Monitoring - this enables users to receive 'filtered' headlines or
news that are based on a specific phrase or keyword.
- Industry-specific
feed - used by technical professionals in order to market, promote, or
communicate with current (and prospective) customers and clients within
their specific industries.
RSS feeds enable
people to track numerous blogs and news sources at the same time. To produce an
RSS feed, all you need is the content or the article that you want to publicize
and a validated RSS text file. Once your text file is registered at various
aggregators (or 'news readers'), any external site can then capture and display
your RSS feed, automatically updating them whenever you update your RSS file.
RSS tools are
useful for sites that add or modify their contents on a regular basis. They are
especially used for 'web syndication' or activities that involve regular
updates and/or publications, such as the following:
- News
websites - as used by major news organizations such as Reuters, CNN, and
the BBC.
- Marketing
- Bug
reports
- Personal
weblogs
There are many
benefits to using RSS feeds. Aside from being a great supplemental
communication method that streamlines the communication needs of various
sectors, RSS tools and feeds can also have tremendous benefits in your
business, particularly in the field of internet marketing.
RSS tools and
feeds provide Internet users with a free (or cheap) and easy advertising or
online marketing opportunity for their businesses. Below are some of the RSS
features that can help make your internet marketing strategies more effective.
1. Ease in
content distribution services. With RSS, your business can be captured and
displayed by virtually any external site, giving you an easy way to 'spread
out' and advertise them.
2. Ease in
regular content updates. With RSS, web contents concerning your business can
now be automatically updated on a daily (and even hourly) basis. Internet users
will be able to experience 'real time' updates as information in your own file
(such as new products and other business-related releases) is changed and
modified simultaneously with that of the RSS feeds that people are subscribed
to.
3. Custom-made
content services. With RSS, visitors can have personalized content services,
allowing them total control of the flow and type of information that they
receive. Depending on their interests and needs, visitors can subscribe to only
those contents that they are looking for (such as real estate or job listings).
4. Increase in
(and targeted) traffic. With RSS, traffic will be directed to your site as
readers of your content summary (or 1 to 2 lines of your article) who find them
interesting are 'forced' to click on a link back to your site.
These are just
several of the many things that you can do with RSS. The possibilities are
endless, and they are all aimed at providing you with an effective internet
marketing strategy for your business.
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