Good for Publishers

If you're interested in publishing your own information, RSS is good for you too. Want to get the word out on your favorite topics? That series of French language classes you're thinking of starting, your grassroots campaign to set aside space for a farmer's market, updates for the software you write, or just tips on pet careanything is fair game when it comes to RSS.

The word simple in Really Simple Syndication was aptly chosenRSS really is simple. To create your own RSS feeds, all you need is a Web site where you can store your feeds. You can create an RSS feed using an easy program (see Chapter 3, "Creating RSS Feeds"), or you can create a feed from scratch (see Chapter 4, "Creating RSS Feeds from Scratch"). Some RSS editors even upload your feed to your Web site for you; it's all automaticjust fill out the form fields with the title and text you want to add to your feed and click a button. The program takes it from there.

Tip

Now that more and more people are interested in RSS, getting folks to read your feed has become easier too. Check out Chapter 8, "Publicizing Your Feeds," which covers ways you can popularize your feed.

RSS is also a good alternative for people who want to spread the word about their product or line of products without inadvertently resorting to spam. Because people must subscribe to your RSS feed to read it, you don't have to worry that you might be pushing email on anyone. Besides, laws are finally being enacted to crack down on spam email.

Another benefit of RSS, from the publisher's point of view, is that you can have each RSS item include a link back to your site. That's great, because you bring more traffic to your site and you have a chance to involve your subscribers more fully in your interests.