Free Website Content - Top 10 RSS Do's and Don'ts
Top 10 RSS Do's and Don'ts
By Sharon Housley
RSS is not quite a household word, but technically astute
individuals are adopting the use of RSS feeds at an alarming
rate. If you are interested in jumping on the bandwagon,
but not quite sure of where to start, consider following
these simple RSS feed tips to maximize feed compatibility
and make your feed stand out from the crowd.
RSS DO's
1. Titles and Descriptions.
Always include meaningful keywords in your RSS feed's Channel
title and description. Many readers will view or search
for topic specific RSS feeds using keywords or keyword phrases.
If you have descriptive keywords in your RSS feed's title
and description the feed is more likely to be located and
subscribed to by interested parties.
2. GUID Format.
Always include a GUID with each feed item. The GUID is a
globally unique identifier. Each post should use a different
GUID. The GUID will in some cases assist RSS news readers
and aggregation software in determining when new content
has been added to the RSS feed or when existing content
in an RSS feed has been modified. If you do not use GUID's,
the software used to aggregate the feeds may have difficulty
detecting changes to feed items or the software may not
always recognize new content.
3. Publish Dates.
Always include a publish date on feed items. The publish
date should be used even if the content is timeless. The
Publish Date will help readers determine that status of
the content contained in the feed item.
4. Polish Your Feed.
Consider including images within your RSS feed. While the
added images will not necessarily improve ranking, they
will add a polished look to your RSS feed and help brand
your feed.
5. Feed Hosting.
Either host your own feed, or set it up to forward to a
third party from your website. This will allow you retain
complete control over the RSS feed. You will not need to
rely on the stability of another company. If you control
the forwarding and at any point you are dissatisfied with
the service provided by the third party, you can redirect
the feed to another location.
RSS DON'Ts
1. Plagiarize.
Do not plagiarize content in your RSS feed, there is little
more to be said. Written words are considered protected
in most countries. Posting someone else's work and taking
credit for their words is wrong and will damage your reputation
as a credible source.
2. Splog.
Do not create splogs by automating feed creation. Splogs
just clutter the search engines and directories and make
it difficult to locate RSS feeds with meaningful content.
3. Violate Copyrights.
Do not violate copyrights by republishing an RSS feeds contents.
If you quote content from another RSS feed, credit the source
and provide and link to the original source of the content.
As a rule of thumb, editorial content should exceed the
length of the quoted material in the post.
4. Violate TOS.
Do not republish RSS feeds without confirming that feed
syndication is allowed. The terms of use are not always
apparent, so it is important that you check the terms of
service on the publisher's feed subscription page prior
to syndicating the contents of another publisher's RSS feed.
5. Provide Multiple Feed Formats.
Do not provide multiple feed formats for the same content.
As far as the subscriber is concerned, the version of RSS
that you are using is irrelevant. Multiple versions of the
same feed simply cause confusion. Almost all RSS readers
and news aggregators support all versions of RSS, simply
choose a version and provide a single feed.
By adopting good feed practices, you can reap
the benefits of having an RSS feed. Following these simple
RSS do's and don'ts will get you started on the path to
RSS success.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and
podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage
http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource box
is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of
the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly
appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
Additional articles available for publication available
at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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