Really a rather simple question but something that i'd never really thought about. I obviously realise the importance of having them for your blog, but why use them on directories; is it purely a SEO issue?
I dunno really. Perhaps a guy obsessed with games wants to keep track of any new sites added into the games category...
The problem isn't with rss feeds. The problem is that no one has really thought of a creative way to use their RSS feeds. RSS is simply a subset of XML. XML is a format for making information very portable. Since XML is useful for transporting data, the question is not "what's it good for". The question is what data do you want to transport? For most directories, RSS feeds are not important. For some directories they are critically important. Here are some things I can think of using XML and RSS for: 1. Switching scripts. Want to add all your old links to a new directory script? Import them with an RSS feed. Very standard format that can be mapped to a database quite easily. 2. Submit your feeds to places that accept them. If they display the content of your feed, you do a great job of not only promoting your site, you also do an excellent service for your customers. For example: http://www.syndic8.com/feedinfo.php?FeedID=523980 3. Expand the options of your RSS feed so it does more than display Title, URL, and Description. There are a lot of fields available for use while still having a valid RSS feed. For example: http://www.after5webdesign.com/directory/rss2.php?c=161. Note the text field in the feed that lets you search the directory from your feed reader. 4. Scrape someone else's directory. 5. Get crazy and develop an application (like Article Distributor) that gets its data from your directories RSS feed. 6. Use your imagination and be creative [BTW, if you're unsure of how to improve your RSS feed for pld and like my RSS feed, you can get it at http://www.after5webdesign.com/pldmods.html]