An Explanation of RSS Feeds.
What is RSS.
Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary, are only two of the terms used
to describe RSS.
Whatever the label the function is the same at the end of the day. RSS allows
you to view a summary of the latest information on a web site. Many of the
leading news web sites, BBC, Sky, CNN, allow subscribers to the feeds to view
the very latest news using an RSS reader. Wherever you see a button with RSS,
XML or RDF you can press the button and the feed will be added to your reader.
If you press on a button without a reader you will see the XML source code that
makes up the feed....gobbledegook..........
We use the RSS icon,
,
which takes visitors to a site from where they can read and then add the feed to
the reader of their choice. So each time they open their reader they will see
the very latest additions to the Tayads.com network without the need to visit
the site.
RSS Readers.
Such is the importance of RSS that the leading search engines, Google, Yahoo,
AOL, are developing RSS readers, which are free and required no downloads. The
readers allow you to subscribe to various feeds and display the latest updates
on a page. You simply scroll down the list of feeds you have subscribed to and
then click on the feeds that you wish to read.
For those of us, whose time is always in short supply, this is an ideal way of
keeping up to date with the very latest information from RSS enabled web
sites without actually having to visit all the web sites.
This way we are less
likely to miss out on important articles or special money saving offers.
RSS Feeds v E-mail Newsletters.
Many web sites use an opt-in form to allow visitors to receive updates by an
e-newsletter. The growing problem of spam, spam filters, e-mail abuse, mailing
list management, data protection coupled with the plan to start charging for
e-mail are all obstacles that RSS enables you to avoid.
RSS feeds are a lot more time efficient and totally spam proof. Because your
visitors add your feed to their reader there is no need for any of the
parameters required to sign-up for e-mail newsletters. It becomes anonymous on
the part of the visitor protecting their e-mail address. With RSS feeds there is
no e-mail.
As the ISP's toughen up the spam filters more and more legitimate e-mails are
being filtered out and never reach the intended recipient. As the ISP's become
tougher so do the spammers. They send out even more spam in the hope that a few
may slip through the filters. It is a vicious circle.
To keep your customers up to date all you have to do is update your feed and
with the link in your feed your customers can click through to where your
newsletter is. Marketing to the desktop........simple......no bulk e-mails, no
e-mail bouncing back, no associated costs of sending e-mails.
RSS Feeds in Marketing.
Because RRS feeds are delivered straight to the desk top this opens a new avenue
for direct marketing. Owners of on-line shops will find the practicalities of
using RSS particularly advantageous. Instead of producing an e-mail newsletter
to promote your latest products, now you simply update your feed with some well
chosen sales speak and point your readers to your site and straight to the
products page.
If that is not reason enough you can pick an item from your shop to promote and
without any new content point your readers in the right direction.
You can systematically promote your complete inventory without having to create
any new content.
This keeps you in touch with your customers on a more regular basis than a
monthly or quarterly newsletter and allows you to make the most of topical and
seasonal promotions.
Those involved in the property market will find RSS feeds really useful. There
are a lot of people who will visit numerous web sites to find their next
property but very few will e-mail details of their requirements to each and
every estate agent or realtor. With a feed people can simply add your feed to
their reader and view the latest additions to your portfolio of property almost
the instant you have placed it on your site. This increases the chances of your
property being found quickly, reduces the need for e-mail notifications to
clients, and allows quick indexing by the search engines.
Whatever the nature of your business we are sure that you will find RSS feeds a
great advantage and a 'must have' addition to your on-line marketing toolbox.
RSS Feeds and the Search Engines.
No one except the engineers at the search engines know how they really work, but
there is growing evidence that the search engines love RSS feeds because they
only contain the very latest information from a web site.
The feeds are primarily text only and makes them very easy and quick to index.
This increases the chances of your web site updates being indexed far more
quickly than new pages. The feeds also give you added links increasing your page
rank and ultimately your search rankings.
RSS and WAP.
RSS feeds are made up of the .xml mark up language and are easily transposed
into the .wml language that mobile phones and mobile devices use. This enables
feeds to be viewed on mobile devices increasing the market reach for all
businesses.
Now there is no reason why your customers cannot find out what you are doing at
any time, any place, any where....sounds like a Martini advert.....showing my
age now.
We hope this helps a little in clearing the mists from this
evolving technology and hope that you embrace the power and potential of RSS.
If you do not have the technical expertise or the time, we can
build, host and manage a RSS feed for your web based business. Full details of the RRS
service from Tayads.com can be found at
http://rss.tayads.com
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