Real Simple Syndication (RSS) Explained

In my previous post, Blogging Writing Tips, I mentioned that you should make it easy to give RSS feed to anyone coming to your blog to post onto their site.

A lot of people TALK about RSS, but not many of them ever explain it.  I suspect it is because nobody ever really explained it to them.

First, let's explain what the word syndication means.  The word syndicate has several meanings, but from our perspective, it simply means that...


YOU announce your message one time but have many other sources broadcast it many times.

In the newspaper world, this takes articles, photographs, comic strips, or whatever else, and distributes them to all sorts of printing sources.

In the web world, we have RSS to do this.

What is RSS?

Real Simple Syndication (RSS) is a relatively simple method of syndicating your material that you write on the web.  Usually, things that provide RSS feeds are blogs, article sites, press release sites, etc.

What are the benefits of RSS?

The reader benefits, because they get article, blog, etc. updates automatically.

The publisher (website host with your RSS) benefits, because they set up the RSS link one time, but it will automatically post your updates afterward.

The author (YOU) benefit, because other people are publishing your material in other places besides your website.  The name of the game is bringing visitor traffic to your site, and each update provides an easy way for a visitor to another website to be lured by what you write and visit your site.

How do you find YOUR RSS Link?

If you want to give out your RSS Link to someone else, you need to be able to find what it is.

Every website has a different method, but I will give you the "formula" for Blogger and WordPress, the two most common blog sites.

Blogger

Consider your website URL.  For example, http://www.TheInvestorAdvocate.Blogspot.com.

Add "/feeds/posts/default" following text to the END of that.

So this example would read http://www.TheInvestorAdvocate.Blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

(NOTE:  This only seems to work is you have the "blogspot" in the URL name.  If you bought another domain name, it does NOT seem to work.  You will need to refer to the original Blogspot URL.)

WordPress

Consider your website URL.  For example, http://www.InvestorAdvocate.WordPress.com.

Add "/feed" following text to the END of that.

So this example would read http://www.InvestorAdvocate.WordPress.com/feed
How do you ADD an RSS Link to YOUR site?

It depends on your website system, but for Blogger and WordPress it is pretty easy.  (Generally, it is easy for MOST website systems, hence the SIMPLE part of Real Simple Syndication RSS.)

Blogger

Within your Dashboard...

• Go to Design
• Select "Add a Gadget"
• Select "Feed"
• Paste Your RSS Link

WordPress

Within your Dashboard

• On the side panel, find "Appearance"
• Select "Widgets"
• Find "RSS" and drag it to the side panel.
• Paste Your RSS Link

If you are reading this and are using something else, let me know, and I will do my best to find the answer for you.

RSS is a great way to get other people to get out the word of your website.

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