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Exclusive: All That You Need To Know About RSS
By Jo Han Mok (c) 2007

You probably have seen this three-letter acronym called RSS in
the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple
Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing
an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may
or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting.
But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow
users to skim through the article so that they can decide later
on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed
usually contains the title of the update originating from the
website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS? RSS gives benefits to both readers
(users) and web publishers.

1. It gives you the latest updates.
Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade,
local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updated site you
learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2. It saves on surfing time.
Since a RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it
saves the user's time by helping s/he decide on which items to
prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3. It gives the power of subscription to the user.
Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in
their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they
decide differently.

4. It lessens the clutter in your inbox.
Although your email address will be required to enjoy the
services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email
address to send the updates.

5. It is spam free.
Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email
address to send updates, thus your privacy is kept safe from
spam mails.

6. Unsubscribing is hassle-free.
Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on
why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user is asked to confirm
unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from
your aggregator.

7. It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool.
Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the
latest news on products and services without the website sending
spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the
website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are
actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS? The disadvantages of RSS use
are brought about by its being a new technology and some
user-preference concerns.

1. Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS
feed.

2. Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds.
For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not
display the photos from the original site in announcing the
update except for some web-based aggregators

3. The identity of the source website can be confusing.
Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the
website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is
actually reading.

4. Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to
their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they
would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be
important in improving their advertising.

5. RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on a server.
Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary
of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6. Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not
support RSS.

How do I start using RSS?

There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator
or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website.
There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of
different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS
feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on the
latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program
also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based
aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before
they can be acquired, while internet-based aggregators are
usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an
account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions
allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid
aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and
they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1. Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based
aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly.

Editor's Note: A good directory of both web-based and desktop
aggregators for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms can be found
at NewsOnFeeds.com (http://www.newsonfeeds.com/faq/aggregators).

2. Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML
button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the
aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 (http://www.syndic8.com/)
provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3. Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in
your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start
reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings
appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their
intention was to provide a means for users to customize their
personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest
them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen
development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given
the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are
interested in particular products and services available on the
internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more
specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Medium to big-scale companies who intend to use RSS for
marketing their products and services should consider linking up
with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail);
networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5);
and newspaper and television network websites (e.g. New York Times,
CNN). Smaller businesses can also look at networking websites as
well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of
clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their
products or services e.g. - a fishing supplies store could look
for the website of their local fishing club for possible RSS
marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management on the
worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better
RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity
increases among users and website owners alike.
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Jo Han Mok is the author of the #1 international business
bestseller, The E-Code. He shares his amazing blueprint for
creating million dollar internet businesses at:
http://www.InternetMillionaireBlueprints.com
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