RSS Syndicate

If you don’t know what RSS is, then you probably haven’t been surfing the net enough or you’ve probably been living under a rock. For those that has been living under a rock here’s a quick break-down of what RSS is.

What is RSS?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication and/or Rich Site Summary) is an XML-based format for content distribution.The specific purpose of an RSS is delivering updates to web-based content, webmasters use this to provide headlines and fresh content to the readers that subscribed. The content viewed in the RSS reader is called an RSS feed. RSS is a free and easy to promote a site or blog of its content without the need to advertise or content sharing partnerships. So in a nutshell, RSS streamlines communication between publishers and their readers.

Benefits to RSS
A big benefit to RSS is that the readers are able to tune in to the content of interest with the ability to control the flow of information that they receive. Once the quality of the content starts to decline, the readers can simply remove the feed from their RSS reader and they will no longer receive any updates from that particular source. RSS is a great communication method that doesn’t place any type of burden on the webmaster/publisher with maintaining a list or any strict privacy guidelines. The feeds are compiled accordingly to the reader’s choice. To sum it up, the benefits of RSS to publishers that are using RSS as a communication method are able to establish trust, build reputation, and keep ongoing communication with their readers.

Few Types of RSS

Forum Feed – A lot of forums now use RSS so that the users who are participating in a discussion topic can be notified if a new entry or a particular subject they’re involved in has been updated.

Blogs Feed – Most blogs are setup with RSS with each blog entry summarized as a feed. This makes it easier for readers to skim through their blog posts that they’re interested in.

Article Feed – This is typically a summarized introduction of new content on a site that the readers can subscribe to and read further if it interests them.

Store Feed – Online stores are also using RSS to send out their latest sales, specials and discounts.

Use RSS
RSS has now become the choice for delivering syndicated web content for bloggers and webmasters. The RSS syndication has helped small blogs and websites gain more exposure and increase their readership. I am also working towards syndicating my content in hopes of increasing readership and exposure to help build traffic to this blog. So far my blog has been doing well since it first started with a good number of unique visitors each day; hopefully it keeps climbing.