By Ian Logsdon
With the growing number of technologies used across the web, it can be difficult to keep track of and understand all of them. One of the most widespread of these tools is the technology known as RSS, short for really simple syndication. RSS is exactly what the name sounds like, a language for syndicating websites for easy consumption. The popularity of RSS has grown in direct proportion to the spread of blogs, podcasts, and online video. RSS is an XML technology, and its purpose is to provide a means for websites to spread their content independent of their site. An RSS feed is created by taking site content, such as an article in a blog or the mp3 file of a podcast, and creating a document that is constantly updated whenever the page is. This allows individuals to use software, known as RSS readers, to check all their favorite sites at once.
The RSS feed is not generally meant as a replacement for your website, rather the most common usage is to syndicate the headline and synopsis of a story, and then if a reader is interested in your content, they simply click on the headline of the story and can read the rest on your site. What this serves to do is eliminate the need for a subscriber list on your side, as anyone who wants your content can simply subscribe to your feed. Instead of having to email newsletters or synopses of recent updates to your site, you can use RSS, and anyone who wants to read will have a chance. This is just the beginning of RSS, however, as it is more and more often being used to syndicate media.
iTunes, arguably the best known online resource for finding music, is one of the driving forces behind syndicating media content. Any user who feels inclined can syndicate their podcasts or videos and submit them to iTunes, where they will be searchable and downloadable, making uploading such content to an iPod a one click process. iTunes is not the only way to view such files, indeed most RSS readers now work with mp3s and videos, depending on format. The increasing sophistication of these files allows imbedded advertising (one can often simply click on a video to be taken to an advertiser’s website), so you are given the opportunity to earn more revenue from advertisers by delivering their ads directly to customers.
RSS is becoming an extremely ubiquitous technology, with readers now built into Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple’s Safari, and most recently Microsoft’s Internet Explorer; it is a technology that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Using it correctly can help make your blog or other site more accessible to customers, and keep them coming back for more. Syndication can replace unnecessary email lists and keep customers informed about new versions of products. By taking advantage of this technology you can put your product into your customers’ daily lives, increasing the likelihood they come back to your site.
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