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An introduction to RSS feeds

Sep 15, 2007 12:22 GMT  ·  By
Standard RSS Icon
   Standard RSS Icon

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) gives another dimension to the Internet browsing experience. RSS allows you to distribute the content of your web site to other websites using XML language. The distributed content via the RSS XML file is called RSS feed. Practically, when you change the content of your website, the modifications will be available to a certain public without the need to come directly to your website. This is a simple example of a XML file containing an RSS feed:

code
Channel Title
http://www.mywebsite.com
This is my first RSS channel

RSS content
http://www.mywebsite.com/content
This is the web page made available for RSS readers
The channel title describes the general theme of your RSS feeds. It should be an essential keyword for your RSS theme, as well as the descriptions in which you should include relevant key phrases for the syndicated content. Into one channel, you can include many items to syndicate. One item includes the content title, link and description. The degree of optimization of RSS feeds will determine your audience, and when you formulate the title of an RSS feed for example, you should have in mind the targeted audience needs. After you make an RSS XML file you should validate it using free online available tools.

The people will be able to see your RSS feeds using a web browser. For example, in Internet Explorer 7, the active state of the feeds icon is indicated by the orange color, showing that on a certain website there are feeds available. The implementation of RSS feeds on your website is useful when you often change the site content, such as in case of a news website, blog, forum or real estate listings. You can distribute your website content as RSS feeds or display other sites RSS feeds, having always a fresh and free content for your website.

There are many ways to create RSS feeds. For example, if you use a ready-made content management system, most of them are modular and RSS feeds are easy to implement through certain available modules. In case you do not find a module or you have a static website, the most common method is the usage of a free RSS generator. Due to the fact that RSS is used on a large scale, it adds the character of universal availability to the website's content which will improve the information flow and accessibility.