What Can be Published Using RSS
Feeds?
With all the vast amounts of information
available on the web, it is becoming more and
more difficult to sort through and find what you
are looking for. RSS significantly lowers the
signal-to-noise ratio. RSS has the unique ability
to compile information and filter it, so you only
see unique and relevant content. The information
superhighway has become packed with content, and
those familiar with technology are using RSS to
filter the content, allowing them to drill down
and access only the content they want, without
having to wade through all the noise.
There are very few subjects or topics
that do not currently have an RSS feed available.
Perhaps it might be easier to ask what can not
be published using RSS? RSS is a standard format
to syndicate Internet content, not just blogs
or podcasts, but any type of content. Podcasting
clearly shows that feeds can be media-rich, and
while podcasting is generally considered a medium
for entertainment, the educational value of podcasting
has not been lost on many educational institutions.
The business community has been a little slower
to embrace the power and importance of RSS as
a communication medium, but industry leaders are
gradually adopting it as a new and powerful method
of communication. But back to the original point...
RSS can deliver virtually any type of content,
including spreadsheets, power point applications,
database updates, video tutorial, and much more.
The true value of RSS feeds is that the subscriber
can review and evaluate the information at a time
and place of their own choosing.
There are a number of ways that
businesses can make use of RSS feeds...
Automated Generated Feeds (like
ego-searches)
Google, Yahoo, and many Blog search
engines can automate the generation of RSS feeds,
often based on a keyword or keyword phrase. Each
time the keyword appears in a search result, the
RSS feed is updated. This is a great way for businesses
to keep updated on industry news, competitors,
or even their own company, personnel, and brands.
Manually Generated RSS Feeds
Webmasters can create targeted RSS
feeds that contain unique and targeted content.
The RSS feeds can be manually created by webmasters
to target specific types of content.
Existing Feeds
Webmasters and publishers can often
use existing RSS feeds to create web content.
Existing RSS feeds can be merged and filtered
to create new RSS feeds and content. The new merged
or filtered RSS feeds can then be republished
or displayed on a website. There are a number
of free tools and tutorials available to assist
webmasters in merging, filtering, and displaying
the contents of a web feed.
Link to Display RSS Feeds - http://www.feedforall.com/displaying-rss.htm
Database Feeds
Publishers and webmasters can extract
information from a database, and then provide
that content via an RSS feed. The information
contained in such an RSS feed is dynamically updated
as the content of the database changes.
While RSS is a great tool for businesses,
it is important to respect copyrights. Do not
assume that any content contained in someone else's
RSS feed is free for you to publish. It is important
to review any usage policies of the RSS feed's
original publisher before syndicating the content
contained in the RSS feed.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS
feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages
marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
|
