And what’s the RSS?
You’ve already seen this three-letter acronym when surfing the internet. RSS stands for Very Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndication means that a post, such as a website, is republished from another source.
An RSS is a way of publicizing website alerts. A description and photographs of the latest posting may or may not be included. But those that have summaries (thus the Rich Site Summary) encourage users to skim through the article so that if they want to access the source of the website, they can decide later. Usually, the RSS feed includes the title of the update originating on the website. It is also typically a link to the source of the website.
What are the RSS advantages?
RSS offers both readers (users) and web publishers advantages.
- It provides you with the latest updates.
As soon as it comes out, whether it’s about the weather, new music, software changes, local news, or a new article from a rarely-updated website, read about the latest.
- It saves time for surfing.
Since an RSS feed offers a description of the relevant post, it saves time for the user to determine which things to prioritize while reading or browsing the net. - It gives the user the power to subscribe.
Users are given a free-hand to subscribe to websites in their RSS aggregators that they can modify at any time they decide otherwise. - The clutter in your inbox is reduced.
While you will need your email address to enjoy the online RSS aggregator services, RSS does not use your email address to send updates. - It is free from spam.
RSS does not use your email address to send updates, unlike email subscriptions, so your privacy is kept protected from spam mail. - It is hassle-free to unsubscribe.
Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions about why the user is unsubscribing and then the user is asked to validate the unsubscription, all you have to do is uninstall your aggregator’s RSS feed.
- It can be used as a method for publicity or marketing.
Users who subscribe or syndicate to product websites will receive the latest product and service news without sending spam mail to the website. When advertisement becomes focused, this is beneficial for both the web user and the website owner; those that are genuinely interested in their products are kept posted.
What are the RSS disadvantages?
The drawbacks of RSS usage are brought on by its being a modern technology and some questions about user preference.
- Some users prefer to receive notifications via email over an RSS feed.
- In all RSS feeds, graphics and images do not appear.
RSS feeds do not show the images from the original site when announcing the change for consistency and ease of publication, except for certain web-based aggregators. - There can be uncertainty about the identity of the source website.
Since RSS feeds do not show the website’s real URL or name, what a user actually reads can often be confusing.
- It is not possible for publishers to decide how many users subscribe to their feeds and the frequency of their visits. In addition, they will not know why users are unsubscribed, which may be relevant for their ads to be enhanced.
- RSS feeds generate higher server traffic and requirements.
In addition to a quick overview of the entry, most readers still like the entire update, so they still access the web. - Given that it is modern technology, RSS is still not sponsored by many sites.
How am I going to start using RSS?
Two items are needed: an RSS feed and an aggregator or reader for RSS. The RSS feed comes from a website sponsored by RSS. There are also websites that include a list of various websites with RSS feeds. To read the RSS feed from the source website, an RSS aggregator is used. It searches and gathers information from the worldwide network about recent RSS feeds.
An aggregator comes in two forms: a desktop aggregator, also known as downloadable software, and an online or web-based aggregator. Before they can be purchased, downloadable aggregators can require payment, whereas internet-based aggregators are usually free of charge. All you have to do is open an account and then you are prepared to use their services. Both versions make it possible to configure or pick which RSS feeds to join. Paying aggregators are typically preferred by more advanced users and normally allow feeds to be personalized more freely.
- Select an aggregator for RSS to use. Web-based aggregators are recommended for beginners because they are typically user-friendly.
- Check your target website’s homepage for the RSS or XML icon. It contains the RSS code you need in the aggregator to join. Copy the code here. A directory of websites that support RSS is provided by Syndic8.
- Paste the code into your aggregator (which includes the website’s URL). For pasting the code, there is a space given.
You can start reading the RSS feeds coming from the website after you have completed these three simple steps. As they are published in real-time on the source website, new postings appear.
RSS and Ads for the Internet
The original concept of RSS originated from Netscape, where their goal is to provide users with a means to customize their personal homepage to include links to websites that interest them, similar to websites for bookmarking.
The introduction of RSS to online marketing was an unforeseen development for RSS software developers. As users are granted the right to add RSS feeds to their aggregators, it is now possible to alert those who are interested in unique products and services available on the internet in real time. To interested individuals, marketing becomes more precise and not a hit-and-miss process.
Email account providers (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, Google mail); networking websites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter); newspaper websites and television network websites (e.g. New York Times, CNN) for medium-sized to large-scale enterprises should consider connecting to others that wish to use RSS for selling their goods and services. Small-time industries may also look at networking websites as well as personal blog websites (e.g. Blogspot) and club and association websites that will possibly use their products or services, such as a fishing equipment store that can check for potential RSS ads on the website of their local fishing club.
Clearly, RSS is a breakthrough in both web and online marketing knowledge management worldwide. In the not-so-distant future, we can expect better RSS technology as its popularity grows among users and website owners alike.
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