I know you see it all the time on the Net these days, but you still don't know what the heck it is. RSS, RSS, what in the world is RSS and what can it do for me?

RSS which is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication has also stood for Rich Site Summary. Regardless, it is an XML based form of delivering content to the masses. One of the main reasons why it has become so popular is the fact that it is free (reminds of the reason why MySQL and PHP is so popular as well).

It makes it a very simple way to create a site with loads of content without a huge knowledge of web design or html. And no, you don't have to set up huge partnerships with big content sites, you can just grab their information via an RSS feed and you are up and running. Content worthy of the search engines. RSS has been around for a few years, but it just started getting popular in the last couple of years. There have always been ways to deliver fresh, new content to your visitors through the use of javascripts, but RSS is much easier which is why it is catching on like wildfire.

Don't expect it to go anywhere anytime soon. RSS is here to stay. Long ago, people have realized that content was king, but getting to everyone was always the problem. Enter RSS

Need More Information on the History of RSS? http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssVersionHistory

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN RSS FEED FOR FREE

It really isn't that hard to create a feed manually. If you have a basic knowledge of HTML, then this should be a breeze for you. It seems complicated at first, but I found some great tutorials that can help you.

How to Create an RSS Feed
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/view.cgi?dbs=Article&key=1059503386

Make RSS Feeds
http://www.make-rss-feeds.com/making-an-rss-feed.htm

Now if you would rather use software or scripts to create your own RSS feed, then you can try out these options on our RSS Feed Creation Software Page

RSS FEED SOFTWARE FOR CREATING YOUR OWN FEEDS

Now if you would rather not create the feed manually, there are some tools to help you create your feeds. Gotta love software automation.

Here are some of the more popular picks

FEEDFORALL: feed creation tool that allows webmasters to create, edit and publish RSS feeds. http://feedforall.com

LISTGARDEN RSS FEED GENERATOR PROGRAM

Creates and maintains RSS feeds
Produces both XML and optional human-readable companion HTML
Open source (FREE)
Requires no knowledge of XML or the RSS data format http://softwaregarden.com/products/listgarden/

RSS BUILDER is an easy to use FREE service to create RSS feeds for your web site. It provides a simple interface that lets you add topics, links and content, and then publish the RSS (v2.0) feed to your web server with one click! http://rss.icerocket.com/

HOW TO DISPLAY RSS FEEDS ON YOUR SITE

Whether you have every intention of creating your own RSS feeds, it is a great way to keep fresh content on your site, by grabbing other RSS feeds.

But how can you display other feeds on your site? Simple....

CARP (CACHING RSS PARSER)
RSS feeds on your webpages
Free and Paid Version Available
http://www.geckotribe.com/rss/carp/

FREE RSS TO JAVASCRIPT SERVICE
Converts any RSS feed into a Javascript code to paste on your site. http://www.rss-to-javascript.com/

RSSlib - this library allows you to add RSS content to your site (PHP or ASP). http://www.2rss.com/software.php

This is just a quick primer on how RSS works but it will help you to understand just how useful it is to you and to your content. Have fun with it.

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