RSS Feeds

[PittsburghRed]

Posted this in the XML forum with no response. Trying here.



"Many websites and almost every blog, offer a feed of their content in RSS format. As RSS grows in popularity more publishers are likely to join in and offer their own RSS feeds."

How to you offer an RSS feed? That is my question. PghRed
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[ray326]

You create an XML file in one of the standard RSS DTDs and provide a link to it on your site. No doubt you can also provide that link to various feed syndication services, too, but I've never explored that aspect of it.

[tracknut]

Here's the w3schools tutorial on creating an RSS feed - http://www.w3schools.com/rss/default.asp

They also list some of the feed directories you might submit the feed to.

Dave

[PittsburghRed]

Thank you both very much. Will keep you posted on my progress or lack.

[Eye for Video]

Sounds like you’ve got an interesting project going. Incorporating an RSS feed is a good idea but the best results will come from having a clear goal or purpose in mind rather than doing it just because everyone else is. As mentioned earlier, it’s a rather simple matter to set up the xml file. It’s a little more difficult to create a successful RSS feed.
Here are some lessons I learned while doing a research project on Podcasting /RSS Feeds as part of a Multimedia degree program.
As RSS feed grow in popularity, so will news readers and browsers which can parse them, but viewers will need a news aggregator or modern browser to view them (IE6 does not, for example). Other wise what the viewer will see is the .xml file….and that will lead to some very puzzled looks. So if you use an RSS feed, initially you may want to give a few details and instructions, etc and encourage your viewers to “subscribe” in order to get the updates.
Using the feed to highlight the latest news and views is perhaps the most common approach. Of course that means that there should be “breaking news and views” to updated regularly. This takes a little work but it’s the heart and sole behind the feed concept. Personally, I found this hard to keep up with.
The content file type should be appropriate for your intended audience. Text files (PDF) and mp3s are pretty universal, but video files will require an appropriate player on the viewers machine before they can view the content. So for example, if you are producing video targeted for the Ipod, Flash or .wmv would not be a good choice.
But I highly encourage you to include it on your site if it has a goal and purpose.
If anyone is interested in my research into Podcasting benefits in a school environment,
http://www.lynnjohnson.citradingcards.com/podcast.xml

Best of luck on your project!