Quick Guide to RSS, Blogs and How to Start

What's a blog? Well, it's very much like an online dairy. This can be about and be used for anything at all, it can be used for news, reviews, products for a business etc. This is great as it helps the user stay in touch with the website with new and up to date information.

Ok, so we know what a blog is now. What on earth is that orange RSS icon I see everywhere! RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts. An RSS document contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that can be piped into special programs or filtered displays.

RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator". The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.

How do I get a blog or start a feed, with as much help as possible? First port of call would be FeedBurner - the leading provider of media distribution and audience engagement services for blogs and RSS feeds. Web-based tools help bloggers, podcasters and commercial publishers promote, deliver and profit from their content on the Web.

FeedBurner also offers the largest feed and blog advertising network that brings together an unprecedented caliber of content aggregated from the world's most recognized media companies, and also A-list bloggers and blog networks and individual publishers from around the world.

Having said all this about Feedburner, although desktop aggregators are very popular because as they notice something new, they pop up windows on your desktop, and let you read items, the problem most people find is that when they are away from their PC or notepad they cannot stay up to date (especially when you are on holiday or away on business).

A server side aggregator would be a solution to this. It keeps track of what items you've read, and keeps checking up on your feeds no matter where you are. Whenever you want to see what's new, you just bring up a web page and scan the newest items.

Why would I need a blog about kitchen appliances, for example? Well it would let you know when there is news about new appliances, so if you were having a new kitchen then subscribe to a feed a few weeks before and just wait for the latest info. So, go get yourself in the know and go start a blog, and sign up for some RSS feeds before the online world overtakes you even further.

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