RSS Explained

What RSS? To begin with, it's one those things everyone says easy understand. And is, soon you have your own 'ah-ha' moment.

I think easiest way explain walk you through an example RSS action. I'm not going try explain everything subject, but this should help get you started.

>> Let's sign you up Excess Voice RSS Feed

If you want read Excess Voice newsletter every two weeks you can either read your email inbox, or read your web browser.

You already know how works when you subscribe a newsletter via email. You sign up, hope spam filters don't block some or all issues, then read newsletter your email program, whatever that might be.

With RSS, instead subscribing via email, you subscribe via a web page.

>> Let's walk through subscription process

If you have a Yahoo! account, go My Yahoo! click through Add Content page. On right side 'Find Content' area you will see a link that reads, Add RSS by URL.

Follow that link and, add Excess Voice RSS feed, simple paste this url into field provided,http://www.excessvoice.com/excessfeed.xml (Don't click this link. Cut paste it.)

Now click Add button you're done.

If you don't use Yahoo!, register at Bloglines.com follow same process. Bloglines a free service where I read all RSS feeds which I have subscribed.

>> What happens now?

Now, whenever you go My Yahoo! or Bloglines, you will see when Excess Voice feed has been updated. In Yahoo! tells you how many hours or days ago feed was updated. In Bloglines feed name will appear bold, a number after name tells you how many items within feed have been updated since you last checked. (Bloglines one several similar services. It's just one I found first have used ever since.)

>> What you see...

When you check Excess Voice feeds, you will see that with each feed, you don't get complete content...you don't see whole newsletter, complete article or all review. You see title first ten lines or so content. Just enough so you can decide if you are interested or not.

If you want read whole article, example, click link provided you will be taken page Excess Voice site where I have published complete item.

Meanwhile, here what I am doing behind scenes deliver this information

I added one new document root folder my web site server. It's an XML file, "excessfeed.xml" (no need know what that is).

Within this XML file I include necessary coding preview text links you see My Yahoo! or Bloglines.

Whenever I add a new article, review or newsletter my site, I update content this XML file upload my server.

Yahoo! Bloglines will periodically check that XML file so see if has been updated. If has, they let you know ways I described above.

I can decide how many feeds I want create how many items have within each feed. I can even add small images. And I can schedule when feeds are updated. For instance, with my newsletter, I send out newsletter broadcast at same time I upload revised XML file. So published by email web at same time.

>> How do I do all this XML coding?

What's XML? I have no idea. I use a WYSIWYG software tool called FeedForAll. It provides me with a simple interface that enables me create, format, edit upload my feeds.

>> As an information seeker...now you can go RSS crazy

Once you get idea have chosen your preferred RSS Reader (Yahoo!, Bloglines etc), you can subscribe dozens different feeds...news, newsletters, articles, blogs more.

Sign up with one click, unsubscribe with one click (No more newsletter unsubscribe hassles.)

>> As a publisher...gain more readers

More more people are turning RSS. They use instead subscribing newsletters. They also use choose which elements content they want hear about from various sites.

>> As a webmaster...publish tons fresh, updated content

Yes, if you have a website, you can have RSS content delivered directly your site. You want latest art culture news from BBC showing your site, automatically updated? No problem. Hence 'Syndication' RSS - Really Simple Syndication.

>> In conclusion...

This brief explanation isn't intended tell you everything there know about RSS. But I hope I have covered enough give you your own 'ah-ha' moment.

Nick Usborne a copywriter, author speaker. You can access all his newsletter articles writing web at his http://www.ExcessVoice.com site. You'll find more articles resources how make money a freelance writer at http://www.FreelanceWritingSuccess.com