You must have come across this term and it is obvious to wonder what are RSS feeds exactly. The answer is not as obvious as you think. Here is an attempt to explain, what are RSS feeds and how do they work. This article on 'RSS Feeds: What are They' will share some interesting concepts with you.
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". RSS is a format, which does the job of distributing web content and news. When you put a feed on RSS, you are basically sending content to other websites and many people as well. Well, feeds are considered very powerful, because they attract interest of Internet Search Engine and a large audience as well. This was only a partial answer to the question, RSS feeds, what are they? Read on for a detailed answer...
Various commercial websites such as Twitter, Myspace and many blogging websites use RSS feeds. Social media such as Facebook are also not behind in this trend of using RSS feeds, they use it very zealously. From a user's point of view, RSS feeds help him to stay connected and the feeds are doing a very good job of getting him better visibility.
Some FAQs on RSS Feeds
What goes on in an RSS feed??
First of all, I must tell you that RSS feeds are not restricted to any media. You can add text, audio or video to the feeds. RSS feeds look like a list of items that contain a title and description. This list is indexed and is identified by the link to your respective website. It is expected that the title is catchy and its description is very interesting, so that the targeted user may visit your website.
What do these RSS feeds do?
Once you subscribe to RSS feeds, the content will come to you rather than you visiting every website. From a publishers point of view, this seems a bad idea, but it is in fact a good way to publicize. Consider this example, when you are browsing through Internet, there are many websites which you intend to revisit. But you rarely do revisit that particular website (maybe you forget to do so or maybe you just don't remember the name of the website). This pattern of not visiting, is true for many news websites as well. A stale news is of no use to the reader, as well as the publisher. Through RSS feeds, at least the news is reaching to the reader and there is a chance that the reader may visit the news website, once he has had a chance to read the RSS feed. RSS feeds are great tools for attracting many users.
How to read the RSS feeds?
Reading this RSS feed is like listening to the radio. The station sends out the signals and we listen to the songs. With RSS you send out the content and the user reads the content through 'newsreader' (its an application that was used previously). These days RSS comes built in the browser. Typically a tab is placed below the browser's address bar with an orange colored logo. Click on it and you can see a list. This is one of the many ways to go about RSS feeds. You can also use the RSS feeds with iGoogle and MyYahoo page.
How do RSS feeds improve the search engines visibility?
Search engines use a program called crawlers. These crawlers are programmed to search new as well as updated content on the Internet. Fresh and updated content is by far the most effective way of search engine optimizing (SEO) of your website. Now, how is this relevant to RSS feeds? You know, instead of going to the website and searching for the content, RSS feeds bring the content to the search engine (just the way it brings to the user). This way a crawlers job is simplified. This is also a way of increasing the publishers visibility. Improved visibility means improved search engine optimization and improved ranking means more visitors. When the number of visitors to your website increases, you get more advertising revenue. Well, RSS feeds have become a fantastic tool for website owners.
The experience of using RSS feeds is absolutely delightful. Almost every one who uses RSS Feeds has fallen in love with it. Hope this article on 'RSS Feeds – What they are' helps you in solving all your queries regarding the same.
Various commercial websites such as Twitter, Myspace and many blogging websites use RSS feeds. Social media such as Facebook are also not behind in this trend of using RSS feeds, they use it very zealously. From a user's point of view, RSS feeds help him to stay connected and the feeds are doing a very good job of getting him better visibility.
Some FAQs on RSS Feeds
What goes on in an RSS feed??
First of all, I must tell you that RSS feeds are not restricted to any media. You can add text, audio or video to the feeds. RSS feeds look like a list of items that contain a title and description. This list is indexed and is identified by the link to your respective website. It is expected that the title is catchy and its description is very interesting, so that the targeted user may visit your website.
What do these RSS feeds do?
Once you subscribe to RSS feeds, the content will come to you rather than you visiting every website. From a publishers point of view, this seems a bad idea, but it is in fact a good way to publicize. Consider this example, when you are browsing through Internet, there are many websites which you intend to revisit. But you rarely do revisit that particular website (maybe you forget to do so or maybe you just don't remember the name of the website). This pattern of not visiting, is true for many news websites as well. A stale news is of no use to the reader, as well as the publisher. Through RSS feeds, at least the news is reaching to the reader and there is a chance that the reader may visit the news website, once he has had a chance to read the RSS feed. RSS feeds are great tools for attracting many users.
How to read the RSS feeds?
Reading this RSS feed is like listening to the radio. The station sends out the signals and we listen to the songs. With RSS you send out the content and the user reads the content through 'newsreader' (its an application that was used previously). These days RSS comes built in the browser. Typically a tab is placed below the browser's address bar with an orange colored logo. Click on it and you can see a list. This is one of the many ways to go about RSS feeds. You can also use the RSS feeds with iGoogle and MyYahoo page.
How do RSS feeds improve the search engines visibility?
Search engines use a program called crawlers. These crawlers are programmed to search new as well as updated content on the Internet. Fresh and updated content is by far the most effective way of search engine optimizing (SEO) of your website. Now, how is this relevant to RSS feeds? You know, instead of going to the website and searching for the content, RSS feeds bring the content to the search engine (just the way it brings to the user). This way a crawlers job is simplified. This is also a way of increasing the publishers visibility. Improved visibility means improved search engine optimization and improved ranking means more visitors. When the number of visitors to your website increases, you get more advertising revenue. Well, RSS feeds have become a fantastic tool for website owners.
The experience of using RSS feeds is absolutely delightful. Almost every one who uses RSS Feeds has fallen in love with it. Hope this article on 'RSS Feeds – What they are' helps you in solving all your queries regarding the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment