Blog RSS

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a tool useful for saving or retaining updated information on websites that you frequently visit or websites that are your favorite. RSS utilizes an XML code which scans continuously the content or subject matter of a certain website in search for new informations then transmits the information updates by way of feeding the information to subscribers.

RSS feeds are generally being utilized in blogs or news sites, though any website wanting to broadcast and publish information can use them. Once new information is sent, it will contain a headline, a little bit of text, and either a rundown or a brief review of the news or story. A link is needed be clicked upon to read further.

So as to accept RSS feeds, a feed reader is needed, called an aggregator.  Aggregators are widely and freely available online, and all that is needed is a bit of searching, you will be able to locate a certain interface that best interest you. What’s more, RSS feeds can likewise be read and retrieved from cell phones and on PDAs.

Once you encounter upon a website that you want to add or insert to the aggregator, the process can be done in two ways. Almost all sites offering an RSS feed displays an “RSS” or “XML” button in their homepage and with one click, it promptly add that particular feed to one’s aggregator. Some aggregator however, requires the need to copy and then paste the URL of the feed unto the program.

Whatever the method used, you can be certain that the feed will be accessible soon as you have inserted it, likewise, in just seconds, the next update can arrive. In the event that you do not anymore would want to accept or take in updates, you may simply delete or erase the feed from the aggregator.

Through e-mail subscriptions, you can receive newsletters. RSS feeds on the other hand, can be more convenient in keeping up with newsletter updates since they are prompt and available in an instant; you no longer have to wait for a scheduled time or day to obtain a news summary, plus, these news will never be  detained through a spam filter.
RSS feeds are widely used everyday by individuals who understand and appreciate the accessibility of fast reports and news that can be readily read and only read certain updates that appeals to them.

Aggregators

Aggregators are popular use of feeds, having several kinds. Web aggregators or portals as they are sometimes called, create this view which is then made available in a Web page. Also, Aggregators have been incorporated into e-mail patrons, users of desktops, or dedicated and standalone software.

Offering a collection of special features, such as combining more than a few related feeds in just a single view, hiding certain entries or statements that has been already viewed, and classifying entries and feeds, the aggregator is a versatile component.

Why make a feed available?

You will have more viewers, since now, your viewers can conveniently see your site without even going out and looking for that certain site. While at first, it may seem corrupt, it will in fact enhance the visibility of your site; this is so because users can easily keep up or keep tract with your site, to allow them to view in a way that they want to; it’s more probable that guests are aware should something that is in their interest is available or accessible on your site.

For instance, every month your website broadcasts a new feature. Having no feed, your viewers will always have to keep in mind to go to your site in a certain time to see if they discover something new; that is, if they can remember, and if they still have the time. However, if you supply a feed for your viewers, they can just point to their aggregator and it will instantly provide them a link along with a description of happenings or events at your site immediately.

What format to choose?

Syndication is very confusing as it uses a lot of formats that can usually be come across in the web.  However, this can easily be solved as in general, syndicated libraries are used by aggregators which conceptualize a particular format that a feed is in, in order that they can utilize a certain syndication feed.

With this, whatever format to pick is just a matter of personal preference. RSS 1.0 is far reaching, and practical should it be integrated into Semantic Web systems. RSS 2.0 is very easy and simple create by hand. And atom is an IETF Standard, does it brings constancy, stability and a natural and accepted community to support its usage.

RSS directories are popular these days. RSS and Newsfeeds initially were widely used by news sites to allow others to syndicate their news stories. Today a lot of other websites are using it. Feeds are being used in flagging new forum headlines, auction listings, sales listings and others.

The meaning of RSS is actually not clear. RSS may or may not be an acronym, actually. RSS may stand for Really Simple Syndication. But others say its Rich Site Summary and sometimes Rich Syndication Standard. The noted creator of RSS directory would be Netscape. It was released sometime in March 1999. The included a UserLand application which is called scripting news. Netscape stopped developing it, but UserLand continued doing so. Another company, RSS-DEV Working Group also released their own version.

RSS directories are sites that collate all RSS links and place them in different categories for other applications to use. This is similar to web hosting, only instead of web pages, they contain RSS links. These links will pop out on the website and when you click it, you will be directed to the main source of the link.

RSS poses a lot of uses for those who’d like to use the Internet for marketing or commerce. Here are the things you can do with it:

Create links from their website to yours

If you are selling or promoting something, web traffic is important. The more RSS directories you upload, the more chances you have people seeing those and checking your site out. And if they have customized their sites with your RSS feeds, then they would get updated listings from your site to theirs automatically.

Spy On Your Competition

If you have a brand and you’d like to know how your competitor is doing, you may use RSS to see what they have so far. Get a directory of their product or service so you’ll know first hand what they have come out with. With the data gathered you now can plan on how you can counter them.

Tracking your own progress. If you can check out your competitor, of course you’d like to check out too how your business or product is going too. With an RSS directory of your own, you can know how many people are interested in what you are selling or offering.

Increases productivity

Putting up RSS directories, let’s say for newsletters, adds efficiency to your company. If you use RSS for sending out newsletters instead of mailing them to recipients, you’d eliminate the possibility of your letter being classified as spam by users, or being sent in a closed mail account.

Increases efficiency

There are a lot of websites or news articles that could be beneficial to your brand or company. At times, you’d like to add them to your site. Without the use of RSS, you’d have to copy the entire thing down and note where you got it. If you use RSS, then the headline and part of the story shows up on your site. And this is an automatic process now. If you use RSS, you just include the directory and automatically, the headline appears without you doing much.

Posting RSS directories could cost you some. But the benefits override it. Many sites even offer free RSS directory submissions. If you are just starting up, you may like to check those out. The more RSS directory you have up, the more the possibility that you are sending out information to the people interested in your goods. Reason behind is that people will only get the RSS feeds that they are interested in. If they get yours, they sure are the target market.

Disseminating information online has become easier with RSS. The technology provided a cost-effective way of transferring facts and figures out. Utilizing it would definitely add up to your marketing approach. With it, you have an avenue of reaching out to even more people so easily.

RSS uses XML to syndicate pages. Though that sounds a little technical, there a lot of websites that has user-friendly interface to guide in building your directory. Go ahead and put up your RSS directory up now. RSS has proven to be essential. It has ceased to be an option; it has become a necessity.

Just enter your first name and primary email address in the form below and you’ll be sent the download link and any updates as they occur. Do it now…

My favorite  RSS News Feed Aggregators

NOTE: It is not necessary or desirable to submit your RSS Feeds more than once; doing so may be perceived as spamming these services and get your feeds removed altogether.

Top 15 RSS News Feed Aggregators

Friendfeed.com
Lifestream.fm
Editaste.com
Profilactic.com
Feedraider.com
Feedage.com
Feedfury.com
Rrss2.com
Feedest.com
Bloglines.com
Feedshow.com
Letsprove.com
http://www.rss-network.com
RSSPan
http://www.rsspan.com
Syndic8
http://www.syndic8.com

This is the new look of “The Web2Marketer” Blog.  I’m now using a Premium WordPress Theme “Marketing Vision” (which is amazing – but which also will take me a while to get everything done right) and still doing lots of ‘tweaking’.

MarketingVision WP Theme

Hope you like it as much as I do

Feel free to share your opinion by leaving a comment!

Darren Rowse from ProBlogger Blog Tips recently published a Top Ten People All Twitter Beginners Should be Following list that got peoples talking (or debating) to the roof and made him ask for more.  well, better say to challenge all readers to Construct their own ‘Top 10 Must Follow’ list as it relates to your own niche and most important share in it right there by

1. leave it as a comment on his blog or
2. write it up on your blog or website and then leave a link to the list in Darrens blog comments

Assuming Darren being totally aware of the secret fact that people not only love Top Ten Lists but also that they can be extremely useful to almost anybody…. everywhere….

The high danger risk of massive loads of visitors and blog posters that could bring servers to melt away (had some host that shut sites down when I started getting traffic, really…)

Well, assuring highly targeted Traffic and satisfied readers for years to come by asking for everybody’s Top Ten list what else then adding my own recommendations can I do?  Could have let you know that this a excellent way of engaging users to share content, getting traffic, providing value, creating excitement and so on… Did I?  Thumbs up, Darren!!

Now enough talk, see my Top 10 Must Follow Twitter List For Aspiring Social Internet Marketers here.

Top 10 Must Follow Twitter List For Social Marketers (+1)

In no particular order:
@nicheprof – The Authority in Social Marketing
@chrisbrogan – Web 2.0 Internet Marketing Always One Step Ahead
@steverubel – Bringing Together Technology, Marketing, Communications & Ethics
@scobleizer – on the forefront of new technologies
@drmani – Intelligent Internet Marketing & Life Coach
@bendtheweb – # 1 Social Media & Web 2.0 Traffic Coach
@dhollings Twitter Marketing Strategies & “The Secret” Guy
@michellem – Social Media Marketing Tools / Training
@iamchrislang Ultimate Digg & GoogleFriendConnect Force
@problogger the PROBlogger
@JasonFalls Social Media Explorer

Following these guys will give you the core foundation for internet
tech and social media marketing knowledge headed toward the future.
In other words: you can’t live without it. Period.

http://www.twitip.com/construct-your-own-top-10-must-follow-list-as-it-relates-to-your-own-niche/

Web 2.0 and Social Marketing Strategies

Tweetsgiving is a project of Epic Change that seeks to demonstrate the power of twitter and the social web by spreading gratitude and raising $10,000 in 48 hours to build a classroom at the school in Tanzania. The project was inspired by the TrickorTweet campaign organized around Halloween by @TheGrok and @ChrisBrogan and by this “thank you” post.

Help build a classroom in Tanzania by clicking here

Join these IM Dream Team Superstars in a stellar event that will put YOU in the limelight of the IM World and get you into the inner circles of IM

The IM Dream Team giveaway event is quite different from others. This is a chance for Internet marketers to actually make a real difference in the World. Each IM Dream Team giveaway will turn over it’s profits to a small and deserving cause. We pick the kind of charity where our dollars can truly make a difference, not just get lost in a mega-charity’s red tape.

Read all about the IM Dream Team Here

Peter Drew has just opened the doors for “Invitation Intake Number 2″  of  Brute Force SEO and as a lucky member and user of this software and community I wanted to share my opinion and give a honest review of Brute Force SEO.

What is it all about Brute Force SEO?

To make it short and simple: Brute Force SEO is designed to enable users to build simple sites on a huge number of authority and Web 2.0 sites, a process called by some search engine marketers ‘parasite hosting’.

When the sites have been created a linking structure is set up so that each page can expect to rank well on its own right as well as linking, ultimately to the money pages.

After this the Brute Force software syndicates all the feeds created to about 20 Rss directories and search engines, the search engine spiders follow the links to your new pages.

Afterward your content added to BruteForce SEO is submitted to a network of quality article directories where they will be read and, hopefully, syndicated onward.

If you’ve added video (which I highly recommend) to the system then Brute Force SEO will submit it to 20 video directories.

With the exception of adding content to the system almost everything is automated. And the best thing is: It WORKS! Of course where captchas are needed to show that a human is at work then we users need to do some work.

As Pete reckons that setting up an entire network of sites using Brute Force SEO will take about 30 minutes, I did first test run on saturday which took me about 50 minutes!!!

A point to note is that BruteForce SEO can handle several projects at once so one can spend a morning setting up several networks, interrupted only by the need to add captchas and review progress.

Domination of Google results with Pete’s software is now easier than ever. Brute Force uses techniques that I have used and know work, giving me similar results to those claimed for BFS (3 fist page listings on Google after 4 hours for my choosen keyword, if that is someting you like….) And BFS saving me lots of time compared to do all that stuff manually.

To recap benefits of BruteForce SEO

1) You don’t need any special skills
2) The software doesn’t require programming
3) It works exceptionally well straight away
4) It can work for you as soon as you download it
5) It’s extremely easy and has massive potential for cash
Only 400 spots available, the first 1000 went very fast, so I recommend to not Lose your Spot and give it a try for just $1.

Please sign up and take a look whilst it is still possible!

Just found an interesting slideshow which demonstrates how Barack Obama uses social media to gain popularity.

Watch it right here:

Seems like Obama’s (social media) Presidential Campaign is the most popular real life example of how to use social media the right way i.e. taking advantage of the various media types, mixing them up, putting viral marketing into action etc without being obtrusive ever.

There are many parts in this campaign that one can take as a model for your own social media marketing campaign, so you definitely should take a look at it….

So , let me know what you think about it.

Do you agree?

Turn Your Business Into A Powerhouse Traffic Machine By Mimicking One Of The Most Underused & FREE Websites On The Internet !

Using Digg Style Marketing For Massive Exposure, Traffic & Cash!

Make Web 2.0 Pay Without Being An SEO Expert Or Hiring A Team Of Outsourcers!
What Digg.com is and how to best use the basic Digg idea for traffic generation…

Why this free site is the best thing to happen since search engines first hit the marketing scene…

The secrets to social book marking and why it’s quickly taking over as the hottest traffic strategy the Internet has every known…

How the big boys are exploiting Digg style marketing systems ethically while tons of sales pour in…

Digg It Yourself Has The Information
You Need!  This Multimedia Rich Video Seminar Will Teach You
How To Create Floods Of Traffic In No Time At No Cost!

Check out this nice little widget which can add the power of word of mouth almost instantly to your site.

Tell-a-Friend makes it possible for your site visitors to share your
content with their friends without directing them away from your site.

Now don’t put this away thinking you got that already, instead take a second look…

It’s not about bookmarking, it’s about conversation!

Tell-a-Friend syncs directly with your visitors Instant Messengers, email in the context of the content they’re sharing without those tedious pop-up forms that require manual
input.

So adding the Tell-a-Friend widget will add one more comprehensive set of
options to enable interactions while keeping visitors ON your website.

Check it out today,

Your’s

Marcus Schroefel

Learn more about – Tell A Friend widget

Tell-a-Friend, widget, Tell-a-Friend widget, word of mouth, word of mouth marketing,

Your profile may be the most critical element of a profitable Web 2.0 Marketing Campaign. I will cover a few basics that can be applied to profile creation for any social or Web 2.0 program.

In many ways e-commerce allows you to profit from behind the scenes. Your order buttons and shopping cart system, along with well-written sales copy, do all the work for you around the clock whether or not you ever make an appearance.

This is all changing with Web 2.0 marketing. Your core assets in the world of Web 2.0 marketing are, believe it or not, your winning smile and your personal first impression.

We may be exaggerating slightly. But only slightly.

The fact is, when using Web 2.0 sites to promote you aren’t selling products and services, you are selling yourself! Setting up a great profile is crucial for your success in Web 2.0 marketing.

Your prospects must instantly feel they can relate to and like you. This leads to trust and a personal connection, which of course paves the way for wonderful customer relations.

The first thing you need to accept is this: Not everyone is going to like you!

Everyone you meet offline doesn’t fall madly in love with you and/or want to be your best friend. Don’t expect this to be any different when using social media and Web 2.0 marketing strategies.

Your focus should be on making a real connection with people you have something in common with. No matter who you are, there are thousands of people online who will be able to relate to you so just relax and be yourself.

Here are some basics to keep in mind when setting up your highly effective profile.

Use Your Real Name

When setting up a profile always use your real, full name. Never go with a username as this is not only a bit childish, it screams “amateur” or even suggests you have something to hide.

Provide Real Personal Details Where Appropriate

Use your true age or birth date, and enter the city and country where you live. Of course you don’t want to enter bank account info and your full street address for the general public to view, but you do want to give the impression of being very open and accessible, because this is the whole point of Web 2.0 marketing in the first place.
Be Yourself At All Cost

Be sure to list your real interests, and write your entire profile in the kind of language you personally use on a daily basis. Really go to lengths to allow the real you to shine through here. The point of your profile is to resonate with other people that share your interests and personality traits so don’t hold back and don’t be shy.

With Web 2.0 marketing you won’t be blazing away with slick sales talk and hard pitches right off the bat. Instead you’ll be making a personal first impression and inviting other people to introduce themselves and essentially just strike up a friendly conversation.

Think of your profile like your personal representative at a local chamber of commerce meeting. It’s imperative that your profile reflects who you really are and all the great value you can offer.

Be sure to put your best foot forward. But above all, as stated previously, just be yourself.
To Your Web 2.0 Marketing Success!

Marcus Schroefel

How To Find Amazon And ClickBank RSS Feeds Video Tutorial

If you struggle finding RSS Feeds from Amazon or Clickbank to use them to publish on your website or for affiliate marketing purposes – watch this short video.

To your success!

Marcus Schroefel

P:.S. Check out this cool software below…

Easily Create Niche RSS Feeds In Just Seconds

My friend Dr.Mani just published this amazing report: How To Turn Twitter Followers Into Email Subscribers And Deepen The Connection, Strengthen the Bond of Loyalty, And Boost Your Twitter Effectiveness – for Free! I highy recommend reading this!

Read the twitter special report right here on the blog through an embed iPaper or

Download “How To Turn Twitter Followers Into Email Subscribers” by Clicking Here

Help Spread CongenitalHeart Defects Awareness

Reading RSS Feeds with an RSS Aggregator

RSS or Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary is the latest information management tool that is gradually earning popularity among web users and website owners. With RSS technology, it is possible to get the latest postings from your favorite websites. But clicking on the RSS or XML button in a homepage is not enough to give you the service you need. An RSS feed or code displayed in the pop-up screen if not on the main page is composed of symbols and words that would only make sense to advanced RSS users and computer programmers and software enthusiasts. Another software tool called an RSS aggregator or reader is needed.

An aggregator works by scanning the worldwide web with latest postings based on the RSS code (containing the website’s URL) provided or added by the user. When it finds a new posting, news, or update, it will publish the RSS feed on your home page containing the title of the posting, which also serves as a clickable link to the website source. This RSS feed may or may not contain the whole article, a summary, and photos, depending on what RSS aggregator you are using.

Aggregators come in two types: the downloadable program or desktop-type and the online or web-based type. The desktop aggregator usually charges a certain amount for its services; this would include regular updating in the form of upgrades or patches to the original version. This type of RSS reader allows more customization of RSS feeds as well as page format or design over its on-line counterparts. But of course, price can be a drawback.

On-line or web-based aggregators are free of charge. All you need to do is register an account with them then you can start enjoying their services. Depending on the “brand” of the aggregator, customization is more limited. Some even do not allow you to customize at all.

Product and service advertisers are realizing the potential of RSS aggregators in internet marketing. In fact, several submit RSS codes to several popular web-based aggregators to reach the growing technophile and internet-based market. My Yahoo has been instrumental in popularizing RSS technology to both users and website owners and advertisers.

At present, there are many aggregators to choose from and newer versions of the same aggregator are constantly developed by its programmers.

Below are some of these desktop and online aggregators:
Desktop Aggregators
1.    AmphetaDesk
Advantages:
-    free
-    supports Linux, Mac, and Windows
-    easy addition of RSS feeds

Disadvantages:
-    not maximized use of screen display
-    few options for customizing

2.    FeedDemon
Advantages:
-    user friendly
-    free trial version
-    contains prepared popular feeds
-    allows filtering of RSS feeds
-    configurable “watch list” to manage junk RSS feeds
-    search channel feature that incorporates other RSS services e.g. Feedster
-    allows feed storage for future use
-    tabbed browsers for channel navigation
-    built-in podcast receiver

Disadvantages:
-    supports only Internet Explorer (embedded)
-    paid software (`$29.95)

Online Aggregators
1.    Bloglines
Advantages:
-    all major browsers supported (e.g. Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, Firefox)
-    user-friendly especially for beginners
-    free, web-based aggregator
-    easy registration
-    no advertisements
-    contains its own directory of RSS feeds of thousands of websites
-    personal email account for subscribing to newsletter emails (optional)
-    allows privacy adjustments for personal blogs
-    allows saved searches
-    mobile version available
-    10 languages supported
-    Additional add-on tools for automated blogrolls and subscription buttons

2.    NewsGator
Advantages:
-    free (consumer-standard version)
-    provides personalized news channel
-    allows translation of RSS articles into email format
-    synchronization of feeds in several devices possible
-    browse and search feed capabilities save time on surfing
-    allows keyword filtering
-    blog headlines
-    button-click automatic subscription to news feeds

Disadvantage:
-    Outlook-based thus limited to Windows

3.    My Yahoo
Advantages:
-    Free web-based aggregator
-    user-friendly
-    customizable home page design
-    button-click subscription to RSS feeds
-    built-in directory and search tool for feeds
-    wide variety of feeds e.g. news (science, technology, local), weather
-    connects to all Yahoo features and services

Disadvantage
-    banner advertisements

There are also lightweight RSS aggregator extensions which are actually plug-ins to existing internet browsers. An example of which is Sage aggregator.

Advantages:
-    free of charge
-    beginner-friendly
-    reeds both RSS and Atom feeds
-    allows feed discovery
-    can be assimilated to Firefox bookmark (storage and live)
-    allows OPML feed lists imports and exports
-    customizable style sheets
-    supports a wide range of locales e.g. Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Polish, Slovenian, etc.
-    easy installation

Disadvantages:
-    good for about 12 RSS feeds
-    limited use to Mozilla-Firefox and Mozilla-Firefox supported browsers

RSS developers promise better features in future versions of their aggregators. Microsoft is planning to include a built-in aggregator in their next Windows version. These developments are definitely something to look forward to by all internet aficionados.

Now Google officialy goes social as they add Friend Listing, many social features like bookmarking, RSS feed sharing, Blog commenting and a Blog recommendation engine based on your friends feeds to Google Reader. Get all the details at this eye opening blog post by Chris Lang:

Google Reader Adds Friends List, Sharing, Bookmarking and Blog Recommendation Engine

SEnuke SEO Software FREE Trial Copy to Google Domination

Home (Social Brand Index)

For those of you that are still not convinced about using RSS in your online marketing let’s talk about some of the main ADVANTAGES OF “RSS WEBSITES”. In essence, RSS is a ‘mini database’ that contains headlines and descriptions (a summary or a line or two of the full article) of your web content, including hyperlinks that enable users to link back to the full article of their choice.

RSS websites – that is, websites that contain RSS ‘feeds’ (articles or postings) – typically have colorful graphics to indicate to users that the specific web content is available through RSS feeds. These graphics are usually depicted by orange rectangles that are usually marked with ‘RSS’ or ‘XML’.

With its increased popularity, RSS is now being adopted and used by more website owners or publishers. Today, numerous resources are now available that aid Internet surfers (and even beginners as well) on how to set up and use RSS.

Setting up RSS feeds and adding them to your website can be a simple process that does not involve a lot of time or any money. Listed below are some simple and basic steps that you might want to follow:

1. Have your web content and/or news in an RSS feed format, such as XML (appropriate and ‘ready-made’ feeds are also available from other sources).

2. Click the orange graphic – this is the RSS feed icon. Take note of the URL of the RSS feed; this will be displayed in the address bar (for Internet Explorer).

3. Input the feed URL on your RSS feed creation program.

4. Click on the “Generate Feed” button. This will generate the RSS code for your web content.

5. Enter the RSS code in the appropriate place on your own website.

Having created an RSS feed for your website, next comes the task of publishing your web content and news and having them displayed on other sites and headline viewers. This is made possible with the use of RSS readers or aggregators.

RSS readers or news aggregators are used to view particular web contents. RSS readers contain the collection of ‘feeds’ or RSS files from content providers, and they are generally classified into 3 types:

• Desktop RSS readers – also known as standalone desktop application, they generally ‘run’ in the background and are similar to an e-mail client, collecting the feeds and refreshing items automatically as they are updated.

• Web-based aggregators – these are online services that enable users to personalize web pages, refreshing them each time the page is accessed or each time a person logs in to the service.

• Plug-in aggregators/readers – these make use of either web browsers or e-mail clients, which allow users to view RSS feeds while inside an existing program.

Having an RSS-enabled website provides Internet users (especially those who are website owners) with the following benefits:

· Allows users to generate up-to-date news and postings, as information and content in the RSS readers or aggregators are automatically updated each time the RSS feed is ‘refreshed’.

· Allows users to have control over the information that they wish to view or receive, as they can remove a feed of their choosing any time they want to.

Aside from these benefits, RSS websites are also useful for people who conduct their business in the Internet, particularly in Internet or Online Marketing. RSS can be an effective marketing tool for your website, especially in the following fields:

· E-mail marketing and publishing
· Search engine marketing and optimization
· Business blogging
· Internet advertising
· Digital public relations
· Branding and e-commerce

In addition, RSS can ‘power’ your website, providing you with the following:

· Valuable, updated, and relevant resources for site visitors and potential clients – RSS is ideal for websites that contain (and syndicate) a lot of information that has to be changed or updated regularly.

· Search engine optimization for the website.

· Increased traffic for the website – your website can ‘harvest’ and display information from other sites, driving more traffic to your own website.

· A wide selection of ‘channels’ for content distribution, such as PDA’s, cellular phones, voice mails, and email ticklers.

· A reliable way to have your web content delivered to Internet users and potential clients – RSS ensures that your site is viewed by the people who are interested in them, without having them blocked and ‘cleaned’ by ISPs or Spam filters.

These are just some of the advantages that RSS can give your website (and your business). The possibilities are endless, as more and more comes up almost everyday. Do not be left behind – take the advantage of the marketing and publishing power of RSS.

In the last few months many of my readers asked me about some specific details of RSS and Newsfeeds. Working  with and implementing RSS everyday I’ve also recognized that many marketers still struggle with the use of RSS and Newsfeeds.  So I’ve decided to come up with a line of articles that I will publish during the next weeks to enable more of you to make use of this really cool technology .

Being that said,  let’s get started right away….

hu, and if you’ve got some questions, asks them in the comment section or send me an email!

What is RSS?
You probably have seen this three-letter acronym and the orange buttons! in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS?
RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers.
1.    It gives you the latest updates.
Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2.    It saves on surfing time.
Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user’s time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3.    It gives the power of subscription to the user.
Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4.    It lessens the clutter in your inbox.
Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5.    It is spam free.
Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6.    Unsubscribing is hassle-free.
Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7.    It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool.
Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS?
The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns.
1.    Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

2.    Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds.
For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3.    The identity of the source website can be confusing.
Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what feed a user is actually reading.

4.    Publishers cannot determine how many users are subscribed to their feed and the frequency of their visits. Moreover, they would not know the reasons why users unsubscribe which could be important in improving their advertising.

5.    RSS feeds create higher traffic and demands on the server.
Most readers still prefer the whole update over a brief summary of the entry, thus they still access the site.

6.    Since it is a new technology, many sites still do not support RSS.

How do I start using RSS?
There are two things needed: an RSS feed and an RSS aggregator or reader. The RSS feed comes from an RSS-supported website. There are also websites that provide a list of RSS feeds of different websites. An RSS aggregator is used to read the RSS feed from the source website. It scans and collects data on latest RSS feeds from the worldwide web.

An aggregator comes in two forms: a downloadable program also known as desktop aggregator and an online or web-based aggregator. Downloadable aggregators may require payment before they can be acquired, while internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you need to do is to register an account then you are ready to use their services. Both versions allow you to customize or choose which RSS feeds to enter. Paid aggregators are usually chosen by more experienced users and they usually allow more freedom in customizing feeds.

1.    Choose an RSS aggregator to use. For beginners, web-based aggregators are recommended since they are usually user-friendly

2.    Scan the homepage of your target website for the RSS or XML button. It contains the RSS code you need to enter in the aggregator. Copy this code. Syndic8 provides a directory of websites that support RSS.

3.    Paste the code (which contains the URL of the website) in your aggregator. There is a space provided for pasting the code.

After you have done these three easy steps, you can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website. New postings appear as they are published real time at the source website.

RSS and Internet Marketing

The original idea of RSS came from Netscape, where their intention is to provide a means for users to customize their personal homepage to contain links to websites that interest them, similar to bookmarking websites.

The application of RSS to internet marketing was an unforeseen development to RSS technology developers. Since users are given the freedom to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, those who are interested in particular products and services available in the internet can now be notified real time. Marketing becomes more specific to interested people and not a hit-and-miss operation.

Those who intend to use RSS for marketing their products and services should consider linking up with email account providers, (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Friendster, Multiply, My Space, Hi5); websites of newspapers and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium to big-scale companies. Small-time industries can also look into networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and websites of clubs and organizations that would probably make use of their products or services e.g. a fishing supplies store can look for the website of their local hunting club for possible RSS marketing.

Clearly, RSS is an innovation in information management in the worldwide web as well as online marketing. We can expect better RSS technology in the not-so-distant future as its popularity increases among users and website owners alike.

Perhaps one of the main reasons so many people buy the iPhone is for the fact that it allows you to stay connected to the world in so many dynamic ways. Instead of simply using the phone to connect with your friends, you can do so through text messaging and even e-mail. However, one of the best ways to keep your online life moving, even when you’re on the move, is by using social networking sites.

Many of the popular social networking sites allow you to access their site through your cell phone, however, the quality of service that you will get through your cell phone isn’t always desirable. One of the best social networking sites that you can control when you are on the move is Twitter.

Read full story here:

Various Ways To Use Twitter On Your iPhone | apple | About Iphone Apple Unlock at&t cingular jailbreakme jailbreak anysim ipod cases protect theme

John Merrick and Soren Jordansen have just
come up with the perfect solution for you,
with their new product called Tweet My Blog.

It’s a WordPress plugin that makes it super
easy to combine the powers of WordPress and
Twitter – driving massive amounts of traffic
to your blog.

And the best part… It’s 100% free!

=> http://www.tweetmyblog.com/?rid=960

TweetMyBlog will automatically

1) Post a tweet whenever you update you blog.
The tweet will link back to your blog,
driving a ton of interested readers your way.

2) Highlight your latest Tweets on your blogs
sidebar – increasing your Twitter following

3) Promote your affiliate link on auto-pilot,
whenever you use the plugin and sidebar
widget. Earn commissions just for posting to
your blog.

=> http://www.tweetmyblog.com/?rid=960

This is far more than just another WordPress
plugin – This is a fully fleshed out marketing
plan that will put the power of Twitter at
your finger tips.

And… Even though they are giving this plugin
away for free, you should take a close look at
the special offer they have in store for you
when join. I instantly grabbed my own copy,
and I know it will skyrocket my marketing
power when using Twitter and WordPress.

=> http://www.tweetmyblog.com/?rid=960

To your success,

P.S. I don’t know if John and Soren are going
to keep this free forever, I certainly feel
they could start charging big bucks for it.

So, grab your copy today, while it’s still
free – and start using it before you
competition does!

=> http://www.tweetmyblog.com/?rid=960

Facebook offers tools that you can use to help build your business. These include:

Social Ads,  Pages,  Beacon,  Insights, Platform, Polls

Each of these is designed to help you build your brand on the site and get customers and clients. Your first step is to learn about these tools…

Read full article Business Tools On Facebook here

YouTube Adding Geosearch

YouTube
will soon add geosearch giving viewers the ability to find videos
tagged to a certain location disclosed product manager Brian Glick at a
developer talk at YouTubes San Bruno, Calif., campus on Thursday. Glick
said tTechnorati: Front Page
Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Maggie Shiels wrote an interesting post today on
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Business are failing to tap into the potential of social networking sites

Businesses are missing out on the huge potential that social networks present, a leading information technology company has warned.

Researchers for Gartner found that huge opportunities for improving the management of large firms exist.

“Businesses which harness how employees use these sites stand to increase savings, productivity and profits,” said Gartner researcher Jeffrey Mann.

He told the BBC the challenge was how to apply this to the corporate world.

The Gartner survey discovered that social networking sites, instant messaging email, chat and file sharing are attracting significant levels of interest online.

Their work was undertaken across 18 countries and territories between October and December of last year. It found that 38% of more than 4,000 PC and mobile phone users connect to sites like MySpace and Facebook via PCs.

Single people and teenagers and more men than women came top in terms of usage. The survey revealed that in large part they went online for entertainment purposes or to keep up with friends and family.

Throwing sheep

Mr Mann, Gartner’s Vice President of research, said he understood why companies both large and small might be sceptical about believing social networking presents a viable business application.

The number of companies that see the value of social networking is smal

Jeffrey Mann,
Gartner Research

If you look at the first reaction from any business when they examine this, it’s there is no reason to do this. People are “throwing sheep” at one another and they are seeing 2who is hot.

“But you have to look deeper as to why these people are using these networks. It’s to keep up with their friends, to mobilise them, to get involved in everything from politics to cleaning the local park. If you look at those reasons, then there are a lot of business counterparts.”

When it comes to real dollars and cents, Mr Mann maintained there are simple things that businesses can do to reap the benefits.

“It can lead to better productivity if you can mobilise your people quickly through social networking.

“For example our press agency uses Twitter and FriendFeed to do things like find someone to talk to a reporter. With these networks you can find out who is online and get answers quickly. It’s about keeping distributed groups in touch and up to date.”

The old channels might not be as powerful as they’ve been for many years. Companies need to rethink in many ways to succeed now and in the future. Those who recognize and take action now will def. have an advantage over those that refuse….

Nothing really more to add.

Well, there is a quote from controversal philosopher which in some way does match to these new insights …

“To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people.”
Niccolo Machiavell
BBC NEWS | Technology | Firms ‘miss’ social site success