RSS Feeds

[sportsguru]

I know more or less what RSS feeds are; but how do I use them in relation to my blog. Do I go to somewhere like Moreover and have a newsfeed script put into my blog template page? So I guess the idea is that each day you get free blog posts and these count as links to your blog page and these eventually count as backlinks? Yes? No? Maybe?

Someone please share what you can about RSS feeds. Seems like some of the blog directories I checked out don't want you to use them? Is this right?

[sportsguru]

As a newbie here, can someone please answer my question? I'm not sure exactly how you set this up or precisely how it works.

[Josh]

RSS feeds are just XML files, that have little clippets of the blog posts, its used by things like My Yahoo to display news results, and its also used by RSS readers, so they can get up-to-date updates from your blog and/or a news source.

Try using wordpress, from www.wordpress.org, they have some great blogging software that will automaticaly create a feed for you.


Josh

[DangerMouse]

...Do I go to somewhere like Moreover and have a newsfeed script put into my blog template page? So I guess the idea is that each day you get free blog posts and these count as links to your blog page and these eventually count as backlinks? Yes? No? Maybe?...

There's two ways you can look at this sportsguru...

1) You can syndicate your content through RSS - ie. create a feed from your blog... If someone uses it on their site - you've got a backlink and as people don't tend to put the whole of their articles into the RSS feed - quite possibly a visitor wanting to finish off the article they were reading. Other people will subscribe to your feed with a feed reader of some variety which will inform them of new articles as/when you publish.

2) You can incorporate someone elses feed into your site. You get changing content without any work...

Clear? ;)

[Lever]

You might want to have a look at yfs1's Using an RSS Feed (This is Easy) (http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=7354) post ;)

[sportsguru]

Hi Josh, I signed up with Blogger.com and am starting to submit to some Blog Directories. So I can't use that other service.

[sportsguru]

Hi Dangermouse,

I think I like option #2 the best, it would be a great time saver to have this mostly automated. Also, I did read most of the thread by ysf1 that was supplied (thank you!); but am ashamed I still don't know exactly where to paste the code. With Blogger.com you get a blog template of course and so I guess it gets pasted in there somewhere, but where, in the header section.

One of the posters in that thread a Peon like me :) kept posting that he couldn't get it to work; but I think he was trying to place a feed script into an html page. Anyhow, I've asked ysf1 for help as to exactly where to place the code to see if it will work.

Last, what RSS feed service would be most likely to have content related to the satellite tv industry or satellites or to a lesser degree home electronics or space?

[sportsguru]

Thanks for the URL!

[yfs1]

but where, in the header section.

One of the posters in that thread a Peon like me :) kept posting that he couldn't get it to work; but I think he was trying to place a feed script into an html page.

You basically put it wherever in the body you want it to show up. It basically generates html code and places it wherever you have the php code i supplied.

I am not familiar with the blog you are using but since you are on a free domain (yahoo), do they have PHP enabled?

I don't know their limitations.

I have only tested it on php and .html (with PHP enabled) pages so its hard for me to give an answer not knowing how the blogger is pulling the code. I would write a small php snippet that displays hello just to make sure you can use php first.

Cheers

[sportsguru]

YSFI,

I'm not on a free domain, my host is Jumpline.com.

Understand where the code goes now; but can't find any news feed service that has only feeds relating to my category (satellite tv).....

Guess I have to just keep looking.

[yfs1]

Did you try www.syndic8.com . They seem to have everything and you can search by subject

[sportsguru]

Okay, I've finally found a few sites that very closely have the type of content I am searching for; but I can't figure out what content is free to use or not. The sites in question don't make it clear as to if you can just CC&P this into your blog or if you have to pay and if so how you pay.

I tried Syndic8 and they didn't have anything close to satellite tv industry news. Anyone know of sites where the news feeds are free for a commercial site. Or if I have to pay that is OK so long as they make it clear how to register. What I keep finding are sites Terms and Conditions that say basicallly you can only use this for "personal" purposes. My website promotes satellite tv; but the blog is in a separate directory and does not overtly make sales pitches; but rather just discusses satellite tv matters in general. Can I use those feeds then or would that be violating their TOS? :confused:

[miko67]

yfs1 if you have a blog yourself, could you make it availible under your name (like "Lever" and others do)? I'm just curious as a cat that's all..;)