If you’ve spoken to me or read my notes you’ll know that I’m a huge RSS fan. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication – Web feed formats are used to publish or deliver or push frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts in a standardized format.
RSS is mainly used by people to keep up to date with latest blogposts – all that is required is an RSS Reader – I find that the web based Google Reader system is the easiest, lightest and most efficient (all that is required is that you sign-up for a free Google account.) It’s really not that difficult but to many, RSS and RSS readers appear much more confusing than they really are.
I could explain it but I’ll let the Common Craft geniuses do that – they make the ‘complicated’ stuff easy to understand. If you still don’t get it after this then give me a shout and I’ll be happy to help.
This video explains the basics of what you need to know to get started. For me, the larger content benefits of RSS are perhaps even more exciting from a marketing point of view in terms of pulling additional content onto a website or syndicating your content to other websites. Automated search strings using RSS from niche search engines (this then has Online Reputation Management implications as it would work like a Google Alert but would be delivered to an RSS reader.) Many pre-filtered RSS feeds become one created using a mashup system like Yahoo Pipes to deliver niche, filtered, automated info….the list goes on. If you’re an RSS newbie give Google Reader a try – like anything web it needs a bit of practice and discipline.
This post has been in my draft folder for a while and I was prompted to publish it after reading Saul’s post where he moaned a little about RSS 
Filed under: RSS | Tagged: Commoncraft, Google Reader, RSS
I’m rapidly becoming your “Saul makes a stink about something he doesn’t really understand so I write about it” guy.
LOL yes…and I think it’s pretty cool of me to spread the link love each time…that’s it however as I can’t afford royalties or commission
I think I should be the one paying you for the linkage!
Melissa, always a pleasure seeing someone else so excited about RSS!
Howdydoody Melissa, thanks for this post. The guys at Common Craft sure knows how to explain stuff.
However, I don’t see RSS catching on to mainstream internet users.
Where I see the value in RSS is how we use it on websites, blogs and news sites to distribute information. Most of the time, the user has no idea he’s working with RSS, just happy about the value that’s added through syndicated content.
Cheerio
@Paul – indeed
@Henre Agreed dude – that’s why I’m more excited about the wider applications in terms of content syndication and yes as you say most people are not even aware RSS is being used to do certain things
Only started using RSS today. Its bloody awesome. And Google Reader is so easy. It certainly takes the RSI out of RSS.
@craig – yes. it does (said in Catherine Tate voice)….RSI as in your HMS background??
[...] 2008 by melissaattree If you’ve attended one of my Web 2.0 or social media workshops or if you’re a regular reader you’ll know that I’m a HUGE advocate of RSS (Real Simple Syndication). RSS is a way of [...]