What's the deal with RSS and what on earth is content syndication, how can it be useful to me?
We know it's kind of confusing, especially when you're new to all of this syndication business. Well, you got to admit, most of the technical stuff is confusing, so we don't blame you. However, to make everything clear and a little educative, we included our own section here explaining in detail about RSS and how it can benefit your business.
I'm not one of those hi-tech guys, so can I really create and publish a valid feed?
Publishing an RSS feed used to be a technological nightmare for many publishers before. You either had to learn programming or hire someone who knew about it. But thanks to our RapidFeeds Manager, now you can very easily (without being a techie) create, edit, update and even track your RSS Feeds online in just a few minutes!
No Kidding, Get started now and create your feed rapidly in 3 easy steps!
Or visit RapidFeeds Manager page to learn more about it before you signup.
Is it really free?
Yes and no. Rapidfeed's basic service is absolutely free, you don't pay a red cent for it. However, we might introduce and add new services on an on going basis, which will be counted as premium. You'll be required to pay a fee if you want to avail these services.
Does RapidFeeds display advertisements in my feed?
No, your feeds are always ads-free when you publish them with us. We do not use forced advertising in your feeds as we believe in giving your publication a professional look. So no third-party ads will ever appear in your feeds. As long as you use our service, your feed is completely yours.
What type of feeds can I publish?
With RapidFeeds Manager you can publish RSS 2.0 feeds since it's the most updated version of RSS. Also it's the most flexible type, having a variety of different features, compared to the older versions.
How can I change my login info?
Once logged into the members' area, simply click on the 'Update my account info' link to change your login information i.e. your email address and password.
I lost my password. How do I regain access to my account?
No problem! Just click on the 'Forgot your password?' link below the login form, enter your email address and your new password will be instantly emailed to you.
Why am I unable to login to my account?
Please remember that your password is cAsE sensitive (lower case & upper case) and hence you have to type in your exact password while logging in. If you are still unable to login, please click on the 'Forgot your password?' link below the login form and your new password will be emailed to you.
How can I tell my friends about RapidFeeds?
It's easy! Since nothing spreads faster than word of mouth, you're always welcome to invite your friends and colleagues to join RapidFeeds. Feel free to use our Refer a friend form to spread the word about RapidFeeds!
I have a few suggestions to make to RapidFeeds, how do I?
We always welcome and appreciate your suggestions to enhance our service and hence serve you better. Please Click Here to send in your suggestions to us and we'll try to get the best out of your idea.
How did you guys come up with the name RapidFeeds?
Well, when we were thinking of a name for our service, we thought of everything from easy rss to feeds made simple. However, RapidFeeds just struck and it was perfect! It sounded good and conveyed what we do best. Publish feeds rapidly!
What is a channel and how do I create one?
An RSS channel is an XML file, which is also widely known as an RSS Feed. An RSS Feed contains elements and sub-elements that actually form the XML file. Feeds are generally used to syndicate and distribute content online. You can create and manage as many feeds as you wish as soon as you sign up with us.
What is a PubDate?
PubDate or 'Publishing Date' is the date and time when your feed was first published. PubDate is important since some RSS readers might not display the feed unless its publishing date is made available. When you create your feed with the RapidFeeds manager, your PubDate is selected by default in CST (Central Standard Time) and therefore you don't have to enter it manually.
What is TTL and what is it used for?
TTL stands for 'Time To Live'. It's the number of minutes which indicate how long a feed can be cached by the server or aggregator before refreshing from the source. TTL makes it possible for a file-sharing network to manage RSS sources.
What is the skip hours and skip days option for?
With our RapidFeeds manager you can skip a specific number of hours or days when there wouldn't be any changes or updates to your feed. This saves the readers time as they don't have to check for updates at the hours or days skipped by you.
What is the Text Input area?
The text input area allows you to display a data entry box within your feed; this box can be used by you to collect specific data from your user. Since all feed readers do not support this option, we don't recommend it unless you're technically aware.
Can I include an Image in my feed?
Yes, each of your feeds can have an image associated with it. Feed readers generally display the image in the feeds title. This allows you to display your company logo in your feed.
Is it possible to preview my feed in my browser before I actually publish it?
Yes, now you can get the feel of how your feed will look like in your users' RSS readers. Rapidfeeds gives the option to preview your feed in your browser and make any changes before it gets published.
Can I edit and update my feed even after publishing it?
Ofcourse! You can very easily edit your feed even after publishing it since all your feeds are kept on our servers and are accessible with just a click! Simply select the feed you want to update and make all the changes you desire. This makes it a smooth experience for you to update any of your feeds whenever you got new content.
Do I have to upload my feed each time i update it?
No. RapidFeeds provides a complete, reliable and a hands free hosting for your RSS feeds. You don't have to go through the hassles of uploading your feed each time you update it. And you can create and manage your feeds from any computer with an Internet connection. We actually maintain your feeds and make sure you have a stress free work experience!
Can I delete any of my published feeds?
Yes, you can delete any of your published feeds by simply clicking on the 'delete' link of that particular feed in the RapidFeeds Manager. No more outdated feeds to deal with ever again.
Can I monitor and track my feeds?
Absolutely! RapidFeeds Manager not only creates your feeds but also keeps track of them by giving you detailed statistics of your published feed. With a click of a button you can learn in real-time how many hits and clickthroughs your feed is getting. Learn more about our Rapid Stats Service here.
What are items and how do I add new items to my feed?
Items are the posts that you make in your feed. These posts contain different information related to your feed's topic. For example, if you want to list out 10 different types of widgets in your feed, you can create 10 items describing each one of them in brief. Creating and adding new items with RapidFeeds Manager is just about filling out a simple form.
Can I individually update or delete any of the items in my feed?
Of course, you can very much update your items individually and also delete them! Clicking on the title of a particular feed on the "List All Feeds" page gives you a list of all the items associated to it. You can then simply click the "update" link against the item title you want to update! To delete an item, simply click on the "delete" link for that particular item!
What are those neat orange buttons I see everywhere and how do I add one to my website?
Those orange buttons are popularly known as chicklets. Chicklets are the buttons that people use to subscribe to your feed and add it to their RSS reader. Once they click on it, your feed automatically gets added to their RSS reader and stays there as long as it isn't deleted. We create these chicklets automatically for your website, making it easier for your users to subscribe to your feed. All you have to do is cut and paste the auto-generated code on your webpage and you're ready.
I've also seen RSS buttons from Yahoo! and MSN, what are those?
Yahoo! and MSN have been using syndicated content for some time now. However, these huge portals also allow users to add content to their members only area from anywhere through RSS. These buttons are also called chicklets and allow users to add your feed to their personal Yahoo! or MSN members page. So they can read your content and remain updated even without an RSS reader. We also provide the code for "add to my yahoo" and "add to my msn" chicklets. Just cut and paste the code on your webpage.
How do I show my visitors that my feed is valid?
As soon as you publish your feed, you'll be provided with an auto-generated code from FEED Validator, which you can easily copy and paste on your webpage. This will display a button on your page, which will certify that your feed is a valid one. Upon clicking this button your visitor can check for himself if the feed is valid, before he adds it to his reader.
What is Browser Compatible Feed?
RapidFeeds gives you the option to display your RSS feeds in an readable format, so that when a user clicks on your feed link in the browser, they see a well-formatted page showing the content of your feed instead of the confusing XML code.
Does the Browser Compatible Feed help users subscribe to my feed?
Yes, making your feed browser-compatible not only allows you to display your feed according to your needs but also explains to your users how they should go about subscribing to it by giving different subscription options.
How many different feed styles do I get?
RapidFeed offers you 4 different feed styles to choose from for your browser-compatible feed. You can switch to any one of these styles by simply logging into your members area.
What is Podcasting? How can it be useful to me?
Podcasting is basically a way of publishing sound files on the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new audio files automatically, whenever you update them. However, besides audio files, you can also use Podcasting to publish other files like zip files, document files, pdf files etc.
Is an iPod necessary to subscribe to podcasting feeds?
No, podcasting does not require an iPod. Any digital audio player or computer with the appropriate software can play Podcasts. Subscribing to a podcasting feed is no different than subscribing to any other regular feed.
What is Pinging?
Pinging is a way to let various RSS feed aggregators and directories know that your feed or blog has been updated the very instant you ping them, without waiting for them to check for updates on their preset intervals themselves. In other words, pinging is a smart way of informing the Internet world that your feed has been updated and there is something new.
How many services can I ping with RapidFeeds?
As of now, you can ping as many as 9 aggregators and directories with RapidFeeds. However, we keep on adding more new places for you to ping on a regular basis, so that you can concentrate more on important things like developing and marketing your business.
Can I set the display order of my feed items?
Yes, RapidFeeds now allows you to set the display order of your items, giving you complete control over your feed. It doesn't matter when you add your items as you can very easily choose how you want your feed to be displayed.
I already have my RSS feed published, can I use RapidFeeds to enhance it?
Yes! you can very much use rapidfeeds to enhance your existing RSS feed by simply adding its URL to your RapidFeeds Account.
What are External Feeds? What all RapidFeeds features will be available to my external feeds?
External feeds are those feeds which are not created with RapidFeeds Manager. Once you add your external feed to your RapidFeeds account, the following features will be incorporated in it:
- Pinging to Major Web-Aggregators and Directories.
- Setting Browser-Compatible Styles
- Configuring Items Display Order
- Recording Basic Feed Statistics
[Note: Very soon you’ll also have in-depth tracking of your feeds with our soon-to-be released "Advanced Stats".]
How do I add an external feed to RapidFeeds?
Adding an external feed to your RapidFeeds account is an extremely simple process: -
- Click on the "Add External Feed" tab in the RapidFeeds Manager.
- Fill in the URL of the "External Feed" you want to add, and optionally, also specify the "Cache Time" (explained below) before hitting the "Add External Feed" button.
- That’s all! Your external feed will be instantly added to your RapidFeeds Account!
Can I delete, modify or add items to my External Feeds?
No, since your External Feed is not hosted with us, you cannot make any modifications to it. If you want to make any changes, you will have to do that in your source feed.
What's Cache Time?
Rapidfeeds caches your external feeds and checks for updates at a regular time interval that you can specify using the "Cache Time" text box. This time interval is called Cache Time and is to be specified only in minutes (see the following example). In case you choose not to specify the Cache Time, it will be set to 60 minutes by default.
Example: If you add items to your feed or update them every 5 hours a day, then your input must be entered as "300" (5 hours x 60 minutes) in the "Cache Time" text box.
You can also refresh your cached external feed manually, by simply clicking the link "Refresh Cache" against that particular external feed on your "List All Feeds" page within your RapidFeeds account.
Which URL should I use to distribute my feed?
You will be given a new feed URL after you add your External Feed to your RapidFeeds account. Please use this URL to distribute your feed so as to use the RapidFeeds features with it. However, if you want to use the original External Feed URL to distribute your feed, then you may use “HTTP redirection” to redirect your users to the new RapidFeeds’ Feed URL.
What RSS versions does the "External Feeds" Feature support?
As of now, "External Feeds" Feature only supports any feeds created in RSS 0.9, and RSS 1.0 to RSS 2.0. We do not have support for Atom feeds right now, but will be available very soon.
My question is not listed here in the FAQ and is still un-answered, what do I do?
Though we have tried to answer all of the frequently asked questions, it's fairly possible that we might have missed on something. Please feel free to ask us anything, which according to you is not answered in this section. To do so, please visit our contact us page.
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