Webmaster's tutorial: Analyzing website Organizing website Developing website Implementing website Maintaning website
Welcome to the Web - Rocketface(R) Workshop Webmaster's Tutorial - "How to Design a Website" Rocketface(R) Home - Welcome to the WebHow to Design a Website - Webmaster's Tutorial StartRocketface(R) Webmaster's Workshop
Rocketface®Workshop Webmaster's Tutorial Index Webmasters Article Archive Sitemap Privacy About


Creating an RSS Feed
By: Sharon Housley

Everyday more and more websites, news services and blogs are adding RSS content. RSS is a method of syndicating content. The concept of aggregating content in one central location or repository is very appealing. Consumers have become tired of push technology, RSS allows users the flexibility to regain control of their content. RSS feed creators provide content without forcing it on consumers. In fact with RSS consumers are able to choose the content they wish to view.

How to Make an RSS Feed

RSS feeds contain what are referred to as "items". The items are usually connected in some way and contain a common theme or other similarity.

If you want to save yourself the headache of having to hand code an RSS feed consider using FeedForAll, an easy to use software application that formats the XML for you.

At the time of writing the following feed http://www.notepage.net/feed.xml contains eight items. The items are all SMS and paging related news articles that would likely benefit someone interested in the wireless market.Each item contains:

title

description

link

The title and description should be written to describe the content and the link should reference the webpage that contains that actual content.

Like html, the xml file uses open and close tags to designate the title, description and link. Tags are enclosed in brackets <>, like standard html and the close tag contains a forward slash /.

FeedForAll - will easily create feeds for you!

The following is what an item in a xml file looks like:

<title>The Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>The description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.linkgoeshere.com</link>

As I mentioned earlier, an RSS feeds contains items and like the tags above, an open and close tag is used to distinguish between items.

<item>
<title>The Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>The description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.linkgoeshere.com</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Another Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>Another description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com</link>
</item>


Now an RSS Feed is a series of items, these items are chained together to create what is called a "Channel".

The Channel appears at the top of the file and tells people how the items relate to each other. Like items channels use title, description and link tags to describe its content. The open channel tag <chanel> occurs before the first item and the close tag </channel> occurs after the last item.

<channel>
<title>The Channel Title Goes Here</title>
<description>The explanation of how the items are related goes here</description>
<link>http://www.directoryoflinksgohere</link>

<item>
<title>The Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>The description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.linkgoeshere.com</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Another Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>Another description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com</link>
</item>

</channel>
Finally you will need to designate the file by indicating it is an XML file by inserting xml and rss defining tags at the beginning and </rss> at the very end.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>

<title>The Channel Title Goes Here</title>
<description>The explanation of how the items are related goes here</description>
<link>http://www.directoryoflinksgohere</link>

<item>
<title>The Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>The description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.linkgoeshere.com</link>
</item>

<item>
<title>Another Title Goes Here</title>
<descritpion>Another description goes here</description>
<link>http://www.anotherlinkgoeshere.com</link>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>

When you save the file be sure to save it as an xml file.

Warning

If you create the file using Dreamweaver or a similar tool becareful that it does not strip out tags it feels are redundant. In order to be be an RSS feed your file needs at bare minimum that tags that were discussed above, and the file will not be valid if tags are stripped out.

I found a cool little free program that helped in xml file creation called First Object Editor http://www.firstobject.com/

Validation

As my math teacher use to say, check your work! Once your file is complete and uploaded einter it into the feed validator at http://feedvalidator.org

Syndication / Submission

If you've made it this far you are in good shape it is time to "syndicate" your content! Submit your RSS feed (the xml file you created) to sites just like you would submit a web page. Some of the more popular sites that accept RSS files can be found under "Post RSS Feed"
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/rss-feeds.html

About the Author:

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , http://www.messaging-software.net and http://www.monitoring-software.net


RSS Basic Information

What Is RSS?
RSS is technology - a simple software program - that allows you to access web and blog content automatically.
Everything RSS - What Are RSS Feeds?
RSS also known as rich site summary or real simply syndication, arrived on the scene a number of years ago, but was only recently embraced by webmasters as a means to effectively syndicate content.
Creating an RSS Feed
Everyday more and more websites, news services and blogs are adding RSS content. RSS is a method of syndicating content.
How to Map a Good HTML Site Map
Using HTML site maps is a way you can utilize to make sure that your site is up to date in the internet and search engine database.
Create a Google Sitemap
One of the hot new website promotion tips du jour is the Google Sitemap. This is a small XML file that sits on a website and provides information for Googlebot when it comes to visit.
Benefits Of A SEO Sitemap Generator
Using a sitemap generator is a positive move in getting top ranking on the Internet's top search engines as well as high visibility among online users.
Promoting RSS Feeds
There is little argument from webmasters and publishers that RSS brings in traffic.
Website Traffic Estimator - Your Very Own!
It is sometimes hard to predict the amount of traffic that we can get to our websites, a website traffic estimator would certainly come in handy.
Types of Websites
There are several types of websites on the Internet each specializing in a particular service or use. If you are planning a new website or revamping an old one it helps to have an idea of what type of site you may be looking for.
RSS Search Engine Optimization
In some ways RSS is very similar to HTML, the language commonly used to create websites.
RSS Tools
Considering the ever-increasing support for RSS in online communities, we have compiled a list of resources and products that will benefit webmasters, web surfers and publishers in their quest to understand the power of RSS.
Website Optimization - Optimizing your websiteMarketing Website - Marketing your websiteWebsite Managment - Managing your websiteWebsite Design - Designing your websiteRocketface(R) Webmaster's Article Archives



Copyright© 1999 - 2010
Rocketface® Graphics
Rocketface® Workshop Analyze Organize Develop Implement Maintain Site Map Index