RSS Knowledge
Common questions about RSS, feeds, syndication, namespaces, extensions, and podcasting.
- What is a Web Feed?
I have heard the phrase web feed but I’m not really clear on what it is. Can you explain what a web feed is?
When people use the term web feed it is typically used synonymously with an RSS feed, but not always. The phrase web feeds can also refer to data feeds or XML feeds. Both data feeds and XML feeds might use a different format (tag structure) than RSS. If a website is asking you to submit your web feed it is safe to assume they will accept RSS. If a website is providing you a web feed to display content on your website it may or may not be in the RSS format.
- Is RSS Only Available Through a Computer?
No, many mobile devices all support RSS feeds.
- How Do you Monitor and Track a Feeds Popularity?
There are a number of ways to track an RSS feeds popularity. Unfortunately because of the nature of syndication the tracking is not always reliable or accurate. Use the followng to track the consumption of RSS feeds.
- Tracking URLs
- Transparent Gif
- Web logs
- The 3rd Party Services (like FeedBurner, Pheedo, FeedCraft, MeasureMap, SiteMeter, Dr.5z5)
- Use Unique URLs
The best tracking will result when a combination of tracking methods are employed. More information on tracking RSS feeds.
- Is There any Free Way to Create RSS Feeds?
While it might be difficult to locate rss software free of charge, you can always hand create an RSS feed. There is a step by step tutorial at Make RSS Feeds that will walk you through the process of hand creating RSS feeds.
If you find the process cumbersome you may need to buy software that will handle all the encoding for you. Often the time saved by using the software, the software will quickly pay for itself.
