There are a lot of people out there who still have no clue what RSS is. Most of them are using Microsoft Internet Explorer which doesn’t understand RSS very well (if at all). But those who have made the move to Firefox or any Web 2.0 browser are starting to realize that RSS is the only way to keep track of what is new on their favorite sites.
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication†or “Rich Site Summary†and is usually noted with one of two orange icons that will show up on a site that features an RSS feed.
The RSS site icon from FireFox 1.5
another RSS icon.
A feed is nothing more than a way for your browser or feed reader to know when a site is updated by its’ owner. This site has an RSS feed- and if you bookmark (or favorite) the feed icon you will see a little red star in it every time I add something to the site. No need to send an e-mail to let you know that there is something new, you’ll already know.
Good sites have content that is updated frequently- on the topic that brought you there in the first place (usually through search). The RSS feed is an unobtrusive way to let you know that there is something new.
Web 2.0 is about building community- or relationships, between the site author and the reader. Websites without RSS don’t build a connection with their audience near as quickly as those with RSS. How long would the telephone have lasted if there was no way to let you know that someone is calling? WordPress builds in RSS feeds automatically for you which is just one of the reasons we believe it to be the fastest, easiest way to build your sites audiences quickly.
If you aren’t using an RSS compatible browser now, you will be soon- since the next generation of Internet Explorer will be fully compatible. But, if you can’t wait, download Firefox now- and look into Sage as a RSS reader (links to both on our WP tools page).
note: According to Dave Winer Microsoft just released a public beta of IE 7 which includes RSS support- so it may not be long for the rest of you.
The search for the perfect search engine is far from over. Even though Google is ruling the roost right now, and quickly expanding into other seemingly diverse areas- the eventual goal is not just connecting web users with information, but connecting web users to businesses to complete a sale.
AdWords and AdSense are a big part of their revenue stream. Now Google is moving into selling conventional media like radio as well with purchase of dMarc so they can serve up their targeted ads with response codes across the nation.
But no matter how good Google is, it still makes mistakes in guessing what you want. Offering ads on skydiving lessons while reading about people jumping from the World Trade towers on 9/11 wouldn’t be relevant, or helpful.
So out comes a new company offering to help you separate the %*^& from shinola- using the semantic meaning- instead of just the keyword. The company is called TextWise– and the product is called, yep: Shinola.
So, if you are looking at optimizing your search in Google either with keyword density (the old way) or by using organic search results (real content) there may soon be help available to avoid embarrassing unexpected results.
While many people have worried about click fraud in paid placement ads others have worried about being placed next to the wrong thing- soon, Shinola will make sure you don’t get placed next to the #*&!
“Now you can have a great website- without hiring a geek”
just sign up for the seminar. $99
Covers everything you need to know on how to have a site that google loves- and you will too.