So, what's the deal with RSS?

I've started to really dig into the RSS stuff and learn all the advantages to using the technology.

For those of you who aren't familiar with RSS feeds, they're basically files written in a language called XML (eXtensible Markup Launguage) that are read by a client or web-based software and give details about each post made in a blog as soon as it's made.

Users subscribe to a blog's RSS feed, usually by clicking an icon that says "RSS," "Atom," "XML," etc., and they are alerted every time a new post goes onto their subscribed blogs.

RSS readers are pretty widely available at this point. There's one in MS Outlook 2007 and MyYahoo! has a good one too. I'm currently using MyYahoo! because I also have Yahoo! mail accounts that I like to keep tabs on. Others are bloglines (I couldn't get it to work) and syndic8.com.

Some of the advantages to using RSS to promote your blog and website are:

• Users are informed the moment you make a new post.
• RSS feeds aren't email, so they bypass spam filters completely
• RSS is automatically sent to subscribers when you post - no action required on your part
  
• RSS feeds always include links back to your site. These links increase traffic AND your search engine rankings.

I'll be posting more on RSS in the coming days.

Adam Farrah
Copywriter, Business and Technical Writer
www.adamfarrah.net