What is RSS?

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. It's basically an XML format used for syndicating online content like company news, newsletters, updates, special announcements, press releases etc. RSS as a publishing standard has been rapidly growing and is being widely adapted by most of the web publishers today. Using RSS, publishers can easily make their content syndicated and thus drive more targeted traffic to their site or blog. RSS is currently being used to publish content by well-known companies like:

• Yahoo!
• Amazon
• Forbes
• MSN
• BBC
• CNN
• CNET

In addition to these huge websites, thousands of small time webmasters and publishers are making the use of RSS. As it makes it easy for them to stay connected with their readers/members/clients and build lasting relationships. Making the web content syndicated, allows the publishers to provide regular updates - such as the latest information, new postings, relevant article previews etc through their RSS content, which is also called an RSS "Feed".

An RSS Feed contains specific headlines, summaries and links which lead back to the actual content on the website. People who are interested in a particular subject can collect RSS Feeds related to it and keep themselves updated.

How do people read RSS Feeds?

People can collect, read and monitor RSS Feeds of their choice in feed reading applications called RSS readers, also known as RSS Aggregators. There are mainly two types of Aggregators available in the market namely - Desktop programs and Online services.

These readers aggregate the user's favorite RSS Feeds and display brief information about them, allowing them to scan through a number of headlines from different websites. This provides the user an easy way to keep up with the latest updates and grab new information without visiting a large number of websites. They can find everything related to their interest in one single place. People who are busy, don't have to browse through the whole site and dig up the content they are interested in. However, the RSS content or feed is not viewable in the browser directly, so therefore the user requires an online or an offline aggregator to read it.

Aggregators can offer many different features like making categories for your favorite feeds, choosing different feed viewing formats, checking for updates automatically, combining related feeds in a single view etc.

The popular desktop aggregators in the market are FeedDemon & NetNewsWire, which can be purchased for a small price. While FeedDemon is compatible with Windows, NetNewsWire makes sure Mac users don't stay behind.

If you don't want to go for a paid reader, you can also opt for a free aggregator like Rocket Reader for Windows and NewsFire for Mac users. You can also do a search on RSS Reader with Google to get an exhaustive list of both paid and free desktop aggregators available.

However, RSS Feeds can also be accessed through your browser with the help of web aggregators. These are online services which track and manage your feeds so that you can view them from anywhere, anytime in your browser itself. NewsGator and Bloglines are the most commonly used and currently popular web aggregators in the market.

Why should I make an RSS Feed?

If you publish any type of content online then you shouldn't be ignoring the power of syndicating it and reaping the benefits for years to come. Creating your own RSS feeds gives you the freedom to distribute your content directly to the people who are interested in what you offer. It's a completely new way of communicating with your clients, customers, prospects, subscribers, team members, associates etc.

What's more, RSS allows your users to see your site without having to visit it. They see what they want to see and ignore the stuff that doesn't interest them. It's a totally win-win situation for both the publisher and the user.

For example, if you announce a new product on your website, chances are your users won't see it for days. At least not until they are notified about it and visit your website. Oh yeah, you can email them alright; but what if your email never reaches them due to the strict Spam filters out there?

On the other hand, if you just provide your user with an RSS feed and they simply point it to their aggregator, will that make anything better?

Of course it will! They'll instantly be updated about your new announcement and the flow of visitors to your site will steadily increase.

How do I publish my own RSS Feed?

Publishing an RSS feed used to be a technological nightmare for many publishers before. But thanks to RapidFeeds manager, now you can very easily (without being a techie) create, publish, update and even track your RSS Feeds online in just a few minutes!

Click here to start creating your own feeds rapidly in 3 easy steps