A GUIDE ON RSS TOOL

RSS is an abbreviation that has evolved into the following, 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.

Social bookmarks are a way for internet users to store, organize, search, share and manage web pages on the internet that they find of interest. They replace the traditional method of browser-based system of folders by encouraging users to organize their bookmarks with tags. Social bookmarking means storing your bookmarks online, tagging them, and sharing them online with other users.

Users from all over the world bookmark sites or specific pages using their favorite social bookmarks. They can search through their bookmarks by keywords or by tags, and can access their bookmarks from any internet connection. Almost all social bookmark sites have the same basic features like browser bookmarklets for one-click link saving, RSS feeds, tags and sharing capabilities.

In a bookmarking system, users save links to web pages they want to remember or share by the use of RSS feeds. These bookmarks can then be organized into a list of tags that describe what the site is about. People are always searching for information, and search is probably the most important application on the web for surfers to find what they are looking for. Search engines give more relevancy to sites that have been recently modified or have added new content.

This is where social bookmarks are one step ahead, notifying users when a site has been updated through the use of the RSS feeds. Instead of going into a search engine, typing something in, you can quickly narrow down the items to what you are looking for by searching the tags. You can even search through what other people have bookmarked as long as they remain public. So, what started out as a way to send bookmarks to friends has really grown into social search engines.

Social bookmark sites allow others to see your bookmarks and comment about them, creating interactivity among bookmark users. Social bookmarking is all about the collective voice and the power of the people. As these services have matured and grown more popular, they have added extra features such as ratings and comments on bookmarks, the ability to import and export bookmarks from browsers, emailing of bookmarks, web annotation, and groups or other social network features. A social bookmarking system can rank a resource, or website, based on how many times it has been bookmarked by users, whereas conventional search engines rank resources based on the number of external links pointing to it.

Social technologies are here to stay, and are already growing in popularity. Social bookmarks continue to be one of the driving forces of this evolving web. It is all about labeling the web, making it easier to find the content that you're looking for by passing on what you've found. For users, social bookmark sites can be useful as a way to access a consolidated set of bookmarks from various computers, organize large numbers of bookmarks, and share bookmarks with contacts. Social bookmarking can allow you to share the sites that you own to others with relevant tastes, driving traffic to your site, and creating valuable backlinks.

Social bookmarks are a way for internet users to store, organize, search, share and manage web pages on the internet that they find of interest. They replace the traditional method of browser-based system of folders by encouraging users to organize their bookmarks with tags. Social bookmarking means storing your bookmarks online, tagging them, and sharing them online with other users.

Users from all over the world bookmark sites or specific pages using their favorite social bookmarks. They can search through their bookmarks by keywords or by tags, and can access their bookmarks from any internet connection. Almost all social bookmark sites have the same basic features like browser bookmarklets for one-click link saving, RSS feeds, tags and sharing capabilities.

In a bookmarking system, users save links to web pages they want to remember or share by the use of RSS feeds. These bookmarks can then be organized into a list of tags that describe what the site is about. People are always searching for information, and search is probably the most important application on the web for surfers to find what they are looking for. Search engines give more relevancy to sites that have been recently modified or have added new content.

This is where social bookmarks are one step ahead, notifying users when a site has been updated through the use of the RSS feeds. Instead of going into a search engine, typing something in, you can quickly narrow down the items to what you are looking for by searching the tags. You can even search through what other people have bookmarked as long as they remain public. So, what started out as a way to send bookmarks to friends has really grown into social search engines.

Social bookmark sites allow others to see your bookmarks and comment about them, creating interactivity among bookmark users. Social bookmarking is all about the collective voice and the power of the people. As these services have matured and grown more popular, they have added extra features such as ratings and comments on bookmarks, the ability to import and export bookmarks from browsers, emailing of bookmarks, web annotation, and groups or other social network features. A social bookmarking system can rank a resource, or website, based on how many times it has been bookmarked by users, whereas conventional search engines rank resources based on the number of external links pointing to it.

Social technologies are here to stay, and are already growing in popularity. Social bookmarks continue to be one of the driving forces of this evolving web. It is all about labeling the web, making it easier to find the content that you're looking for by passing on what you've found. For users, social bookmark sites can be useful as a way to access a consolidated set of bookmarks from various computers, organize large numbers of bookmarks, and share bookmarks with contacts. Social bookmarking can allow you to share the sites that you own to others with relevant tastes, driving traffic to your site, and creating valuable backlinks.

Online users are constantly in search for new methods and techniques that will make their researching online much easier and faster. They tend to dislike jumping from one website to another. They prefer to be spoon fed and would like to have the information right in their finger tips. This was probably the main reason why RSS was developed. It offers readers news feed for free right in front of their computers or on their browsers without the need to access any website.

1. Make use of keyword-rich titles and descriptions. Make sure that your main keywords are included in your headlines and your brief summary. Most online users are using these words when they are searching for information in the internet. Thus, if you know how to properly incorporate keywords to your titles and descriptions, your feeds will be most likely to be included on the search result page.

2. Include publish dates. This will help your online readers determine if your information is fresh or outdated.

3. Make your feeds visually appealing. Bring out your artistic side and design your feeds appropriately. Incorporate attention-grabbing images that will help your feeds stand out from the rest.

4. Post original content. Don't try to get credit for something that you did not write. It is not only unjust; it can also greatly ruin your online credibility. When you copy other's content, you are directly telling your subscribers that you don't have valuable information to share and that you are not an expert on your field.

5. Host your own feed. You will reap a lot of benefits if you won't rely on other company and you will have complete control over your RSS feed.

RSS can be extremely confusing to use. If you have ever clicked on the button to subscribe to a RSS feed you will be aware that your browser will take you to a page displaying XML.

This is very confusing to most internet users as they will not know what to do at this stage. So if you did not know exactly what this was and how to use it you would be very confused and probably not ever want to subscribe to a RSS feed again. Basically what I am trying to tell you is that this is not a very good way to collect subscribers. Let us look in detail what the alternatives are.

You can create a page that will show the XML code formatted so that it can be understood. This is a presentation page. You need to also explain to the reader that they can subscribe to the feed with a RSS reader.

Alternatively you can use a service like Feedburner. It will make your feed easier to use, more powerful and useful. Some important things that it can do is keep track of how many people have subscribed to your feed. Most options to subscribe are covered within two clicks. It will automatically ping the directories like Technorati and the other sites to keep them informed that your site has been updated. If for some reason you start another blog you can simply replace the location of the feed in your Feedburner account without losing any subscribers. It also has some advance features that you can also make use of.

Finally, make sure that you have good sales copy to get people to subscribe to your feed.

Are you really interested in driving massive traffic to your website?

Here's the answer:

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RSS also known as "Really Simple Syndication" is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries. RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader". Once a visitor turns into a subscriber on your site, he/she becomes a part of your website. These subscriber helps your blogs in a long run and one of the biggest advantage of these readers are that higher the Rss number, the better rates you can get from ad networks like SponsoredReviews and ReviewMe.

It's suggested by pro bloggers like JohnChow that you should not display your Rss Readers count on your blog unless it least reaches 50. It's natural if a person is scared to take a step outside of their comfort zone but if you have at least XXX amount of readers on your site, more chances are that the visitor will consider registering on your blog and of course if you're offering quality content.

To increase the number of subscribers on your website you can always ask your readers to subscribe on your blog by writing something like "If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader." at the end of each post.

Offering full feed is important because many RSS users won't subscribe to your feed if it's not full. By default in Feedburner, it only gives you a summary of every feed post.

You also need to make sure that your Rss button is visible to all the readers and it's best of you place it at the top of the blog where they can easily subscribe without scrolling down the page. The button doesn't have to big if it's easily visible for the readers.

If you have been struggling lately to build your RSS Count then keep reading. I am going to talk about another thing that could greatly reduce your chances of online failure. Today I am going to talk about the importance of RSS Subscribers and give a few tips on how to increase your count!

The first thing I would like everyone to know is that in the blogging world if you take a good look around you will probably be aware that the most successful bloggers are those who seem to have massive RSS Subscriber Counts. I won't name any examples but I can see an almost direct correlation between amount of subscribers and success. The main reason that this theory holds true is because RSS Subscribers are pretty much guaranteed returning traffic to your site. If you know that more and more people are visiting your website and wanting more then you know that you are doing something right.

RSS Feed Subscriber Count is a good indicator of were you stand amongst other bloggers. If you look around you are bound to find a numerous bunch with 0-100, a hand full of bloggers with 100-1000 and
a smaller amount with multiple thousands of Subscribers! One of the best things you can do to ensure that your RSS Feed Count keeps growing is to provide your readers with great information and quality content but that alone will not ensure your success. Here are a 5 Great Tips that you could use to boost your count:

* Actively Promote your Feed!

If you haven't already done this... then make a special post on your website dedicated to the promotion of your RSS Feed. RSS Subscribers are a great measure of returning visitors and sometimes people just need to be reminded before they take action. That is why it won't harm you to remind your visitors to sign up for your free email subscription which will tell them every time you update your website! You can do this in a number of ways, but a great way to do it is to thank your readers for visiting your site and urge them to consider signing up for the free feed!

* Make Your Feed Noticeable.

I know that there are a lot of bloggers out there who do sign up to RSS feeds frequently especially when they visit a new website that seems interesting. How are they going to sign up if they don't see the opportunity? Not every person will persistently search each blog at the bottom of the page for a tiny RSS link. Most users will come across your page and would never think about subscribing unless it is right there up in their face. Use one of those nifty icons to display your feed at the top of your page so everyone can see it right away!

* Provide Email Subscriptions.

Give your readers a chance to be emailed whenever your blog or page updates. This is a really convenient tool that can help your RSS count! People who subscribe by email are generally those who know they will be returning often. They like what they have read on your page and they want more! Give them a chance to subscribe. If they don't know that the option is available to them then how are they going to do it?

* Subscriber Count.

I read somewhere else on the internet that this is the mistake that a lot of bloggers make when posting up their RSS Feed. FeedBurner has a cool little widget that can display your Subscriber Count and while it may seem cool and convenient to keep track of your stats, it might not be the best idea to display it until you have a strong readership. Most blogs should wait until they have atleast between 100-200 subscribers before they show their numbers. No one is going to subscribe to a feed if they see that there is only 1 or 2 others reading it. Especially if one of them is the webmaster!

* Offer a Gift.

There is no better way of increasing your RSS Count! If you give people a reason to subscribe to your RSS then the chances that they do are a lot higher if you can offer them something in returning. Either by providing content specifically for RSS Email Subscribers.. or by giving them a chance to download a free Ebook!

All of these things that I just listed can be done in a relatively short amount of time. You really don't need to do it more than once and the benefits are too massive to ignore.

There are many different ways to get traffic to a website or blog today. Some of these are more effective than others, but certainly targeted traffic is the best traffic you can get today. One way to do that is to use an RSS feed where people can easily subscribe to your content on your blog.

In this article let's talk about how using an RSS feed to build traffic to your site is a very smart thing to do.

The definition of an RSS feed is it is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds or podcasts. One thing that is without dispute today on the Internet is your visitors want to be in control when they arrive at your site. You can make this possible by allowing them to post comments in your blog, to watch audio and video online, to allow them to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter if you have one, or your RSS feed.

By providing content that is interesting, and then allowing your visitor to opt in to an RSS feed you are allowing them to be in control building potential repeat traffic. One of the most important things you can do when it comes to getting traffic is to concentrate on getting repeat traffic.

Repeat traffic is free traffic in that people will come back on their own when they feel you have something of importance to them. This is really what an RSS feed does. It should be mutually beneficial.

It allows you to offer fresh content that is interesting and relevant, and to keep your website traffic up to date on any new developments that you have.

RSS feeds do not have to be limited strictly to blogs either. People can receive new content to you via article feeds, discussion forum posts, updates on any specials or discounts, and various other ways you choose to use them.

One definite benefit of an RSS feed over e-mail marketing is avoiding spam complaints. Publishers of website content and blog content can easily keep in contact with people once they describe to your RSS feed, because there is no delivery problems.

If you are trying to be increased traffic to your site, then using an RSS feed is definitely something you need to be doing. It is very easy to set up and the benefits as we have listed, are great for building your online business.

Creating an RSS feed needs thought. An important consideration to keep in mind is accessibility. Very often in creating the larger picture the small details are missed and the RSS feed does not attain the heights it deserves.

Here are a few tips written by experts on how to maximize the accessibility of your RSS feed.

1. Be sure the document is simple and does not need to be deciphered using a dictionary or style sheet. Ensure that every page is reader friendly and has a structure that includes sub heads and more.

2. Make sure the links are clearly demarcated. Separate individual links by text and spaces.

3. Ensure that links are of relevance and readers can make the connection. Ideally a link should enhance or emphasize a point. No random links should be included.

4. Place links at the top and bottom of each page so that navigation is smooth and easy. Make sure links access content directly each time. And include on each page skip to content links.

5. When images are included ensure that the text explains the images clearly.

6. Distinguish between images tables and columns. Learn all about TH, TD, alternate styling, and SUMMARY attributes.

7. The web page must be usable even in absence of scripts. Think of ways to ensure pages are live at all times and not dependent on Java Script.

8. Think of color blind users and ensure that information is accessible even in absence of color.

9. Validate the document each time and use an external validator too.

10. Keep abreast of new ways of increasing accessibility and apply new trends.

Keep in mind web designing tips and always test the pages using more than one screen reader. Use web accessibility evaluation tools to ensure that the pages meet accessibility guidelines. Keep in mind the basics of web accessibility:

# Pages must be usable by people with disabilities.

# Pages must be user friendly to the young and old.

# Pages should be accessible to people with slow internet connections.

RSS will help to streamline your contact with subscribers. With the surge in popularity of RSS, webmasters have started to creatively deliver content using RSS.

RSS feeds usually contain a headline and a summary of the content. The summary of the content contains enough information get the attention and interest of the reader without overwhelming them. If the reader wants more information, they can simply click a link in the feed and access the website that has all the details.

RSS readers combine the information from multiple feeds. This makes it easy and convenient for individuals to quickly browse the information from many sources. Feeds are generally themed, which allows readers to subscribe to feeds that interest them.

One of the biggest benefits of RSS, is the ability of individuals to opt-in only to feeds of interest. This gives the user the power to control what information is received. If the quality of a feed goes down, or they simply are no longer interested, a user could just remove the feed from the RSS reader. There is no subscribing or un-subscribing to deal with, when the feed is removed no further information is received from that feed. An RSS reader also compiles all the information from multiple sources to one area. this allows the user to quickly view many content streams without having to go to multiple locations or emails.

RSS is a great tool for publishers as well. It frees the publisher from maintaining lists, worrying about privacy rules, spam or age guidelines. At the same time it provides the publisher a vehicle for communication to a highly targeted audience.

Publishers can use RSS to deliver keyword rich, themed content. This will help establish trust and build the publishers reputation with new and established customers.

Here is a sample of what can be delivered with RSS:

Blogs, many blogs utilize a RSS feed. Each blog post is summarized and broadcast as a feed item. This makes it easier for interested readers to scan blog posts for specific items of interest.

Articles, many articles are placed into RSS feeds and sent to readers informing them of new content. Generally, the feed consists of the article title and a brief summary or introduction of the article. RSS users can then decide to follow the link to the complete article.

Forum Feed, some forums are now allowing users to get new posts through RSS feed. The feed will usually show the latest topic of discussion. If users are interested in posting replies, or reading more, they can simply click to go directly to the forum discussion. As the forum discussion continues the RSS feed is updated and readers see the latest updates on the topic.

Organizations Schedules, many clubs, schools and groups use RSS to communicate everything from meetings to events that are coming up. The feed used to publicize the event can also inform the community.

Retail Sale or Special Feed. Both online and traditional stores have started using RSS feeds to deliver news of special offers and sales to customers. Some marketers are allowing users to customize their feed using keywords that the user chooses.

The usefulness of RSS is growing daily, so many industries have started to adapt RSS to get their message out. RSS is now being used to market, promote and communicate to a variety of audiences. Many organizations have used RSS to reach new audiences and customers, due to its ease of use and user friendly make up. RSS is fast becoming the communication vehicle for many businesses and with the increase of popularity will come ever more creative uses for this communication vehicle.

Have you noticed RSS links on your favorite sites? Do you know what it is and how it can help market your site? RSS means Really simple Syndication. To syndicate your website is to have it republished somewhere else.

An RSS feed is a way to publicize updates to your website. It could be the entire update including photos, or just a summary of the latest update. Users can read a summary from your RSS and go to your site for the full details. Usually a RSS feed includes the title of your update with a link to the original source.

Why to you need to know the RSS basics? Because, RSS has benefits to both the readers and the publishers

An RSS feed keeps your readers informed. Whatever your update is, a blog post, a new sale price on an item, new music, whatever it is subscribers are immediately updated. Web users are becoming more comfortable with RSS and look for the feed to save time.

RSS can save valuable time and deliver a loyal following from busy internet users who receive the updates. By reading your RSS summary, the user can determine if the update is important to them without having to search your site to find the update.

If you are marketing online, you will reach a wider audience because people are more likely to subscribe to an RSS feed than they are to an email list. Users who utilize a RSS aggregator will be able to read your updates without their inbox overflowing.

While it may seem that the benefit of RSS is all on the user, your RSS feed can be used as a marketing tool. Subscribers to your RSS feed get the latest updates on your site delivered to them. This will focus your marketing to those who want to receive your message, and actually want your product. It also totally eliminates the possibility of your being accused of spamming.

RSS is still new, so using it exclusively may have some drawbacks. Some customers may still prefer to receive email updates, or may not yet understand RSS. Also, some graphics and photos may not appear, but if this is how your customer wants to hear from you it is a good idea you make the option available to them.

Even taking the perceived drawbacks into account, a RSS feed will create more traffic. Many of your RSS subscribers will want the entire story and will click to visit your site.

How to use RSS for Internet Marketing.

Originally, RSS was intended for users who wanted to customize their homepage with links to their favorite sites, much like social bookmarking sites work. Applying internet marketing to the feed was an afterthought. With the advent of services like Feed Burner, your RSS feed can be spiced up and rebroadcast to a much wider audience than you could have originally found.

Every day more people are using RSS. This innovation to the worldwide web and online marketing is becoming more widely used every day. If you are promoting a website, Blog, Forum, etc. incorporating an RSS feed is crucial to the success of your efforts. Once you get the basics down you will be able to benefit from publicizing your site through RSS.

Introduction to RSS Feeds

RSS is an acronym that stands for Really Simple Syndication. In layman terms, it is a way to syndicate information on blogs and other websites so that it can be delivered through a software platform to a person without actually having to visit a website. Software like Google Reader can be used to read RSS feeds and they are a way to allow a person to read a blog's material without actually having to visit that blog.

For most people, this seems like a bad idea for blog marketing simply because all of your money is made through getting people to come to the blog. However, this is a short term view and one that you absolutely can not take if you want to be successful at blogging in the long run. There are many ways that RSS feeds can help you increase your traffic.

Additional Readership

There are many internet savvy people that do not read blogs that do not have RSS feeds simply because they can not be bothered going back to the blog in order to visit it on a consistent basis. They don't like surfing blogs and therefore would not read your blog if you did not have an RSS feed. These people are important because from time to time when you have special offers, posts that require commenting or posts that they find interesting enough to come to your website for, they will visit. While it won't be every day, it will happen a few times each month and that can definitely increase your website traffic.

Blogging is not about website traffic as much as it is about maintaining a readership that is of a very high numerical amount. You might have 30,000 page views on your main page in a single month, but what use is that if you only have a dozen readers that just visit multiple times each day? More readers are the key and the RSS feed that you offer can be your ticket to getting more of them. Review Me and other similar advertising services take into account RSS feeds as well and there are ways you can advertise on RSS, filling your need for extra website traffic.

With RSS, it's really the best of both worlds. You can get more traffic through occasional website visits and you can get more advertising revenue through showing a larger readership.

Its easy to create your RSS Feeds. I recommend to use a good software unless you like to write XML manually. Then once your feed is done you have to upload your feed (XML file) on your web hosting account. I like to use FeedForAll.com to create RSS feeds. That software will automatically create your feed into the XML format. RSS is a free and simple way to publish for internet marketers. RSS allows your content to be delivered fast to your subscribers and other web media. So be sure to add RSS feeds to your internet marketing arsenal!

To Your Success!

If you aren't sure what an RSS feed is, how you can use one and what the advantages of RSS feeds are, this article is for you!

When I spoke at the Monterey Bay Consultants Group in April about blogging, I remember one of the questions asked from the group was, "Who has time to check and read all of these blogs?" It was a great question. I answered the question with my method of deciding which blog posts to read and that is by looking at my RSS feed. Some of the members of the group had no idea what I was talking about. I then took the opportunity to explain to them what it is and how I use it.

Let me break it down as simple as possible for you here:

RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication" and people use "RSS feeds" to distribute and gather information from throughout the Internet. If you have content on your website or blog that you are continually updating, you can set up an RSS feed for the information. Subscribers to your RSS feed can then receive your updates via their "RSS feed reader". That still sounds confusing doesn't it? Let me go further into it...

Let's say you are into celebrity gossip and you love to know what's going on all the time (I know, it's shallow - but the best example I could think of that the majority of readers can relate to). Every day you visit PerezHilton.com, popsugar.com, tmz.com and many of the other celebrity gossip sites. You could spend all day sifting through the many posts and all the content to get to the information that you personally are interested in. With an RSS feed reader, you could be updated continually with the posts from all of the sites in one place and click on only the ones you would like to read.

I'm sure you've seen the standard orange "RSS" symbol. Usually, where you see that symbol, that's where you'll click to "Subscribe" to a feed. When you subscribe to a feed, you can then send the feed to your "Reader".

"Readers" are also known as "Feed Aggregator", "Feed Reader", "News Reader" or just "Aggregator". These readers are web applications or software, which aggregate syndicated web content including podcasts, blogs and news headlines all in one location so you can easily view them.

I currently use Google Reader. It lets me know when the blogs that I read have new posts and I can choose which ones to click on and read the stories I am interested in. Since my work involves the Internet, industry news is of particular importance to me and I keep updated by reading several blogs daily, however - I only read the stories that pertain to my niche.

Before RSS feeds were readily available, it took hours every day to keep up with industry news. Now I can get all of my information much more quickly and skip the information that I don't need.

As a site or blog owner, how can having an RSS feed help you? Well, if you are trying to drive traffic to your website by using content such as new articles and posts, having an RSS feed available of your new items for your visitors to subscribe to will make life easier for them (as explained above).

You can also place RSS feeds from industry related sites directly on your website or blog in order to provide your visitors with even more information.

If you are using blog software, you can automatically place an RSS feed subscription button on your site, they all come with them. If you would like to create an RSS feed from your website content (perhaps your articles section), you can easily create one and just add a snippet of code to your site to get going. Most of them have detailed instructions and tutorials for you.

In conclusion, if you're not using RSS, it's time you got on board - time is money!