What Is This RSS, XML, RDF, and Atom Business?
It's been a long day at work and you're in no mood to cook dinner or go out. Time to count on the reliable pizza delivery guy. The order is called in and he promptly arrives with smokin' hot pizza within 30 minutes as promised. If it were only that easy with a picky family where no one can agree on the same restaurant for dinner. One wants Mexican, another wants Chinese, and another wants a burger and Mexican. Instead of running to three different places, you call a delivery service that goes to all of them and brings it to you. What could be easier in getting a meal without cooking it or fetching it? RSS, XML, RDF, and Atom are the food delivery guy of the Internet. The content they deliver is mixed and cooked elsewhere on the Internet just like the meal isn't made on your door step and the acronym fellows bring the content to you via software or an online application. Instead of trying to remember all the places where you like to go to get the latest news, it all comes to you once you order your food. Click on any of those orange or blue RSS, XML, or RDF buttons and you see unreadable text. Some of it is readable, but reading between the is slow and difficult. In this case, you've got the raw ingredients of the content known as a feed. To make it easily readable, download a feed reader that can interpret (aggregate) the ingredients or sign up for an online service that can do the same. When the software or application is ready to go, click on the orange or blue button (or "Syndicate This Page," or whatever is along these lines) and copy the resulting URL from the address box. Paste it into the application to cook the ingredients where it's delivered to you ready for your enjoyment. Syndication is a not a new concept on the Internet, but it’s growing in popularity as more Web sites and newsletters are churning content to turn it into syndicated files, which are fed into an aggregator. Think of it as the content that's ready to travel anywhere it needs to go. Grab the feed and feed it to the aggregator, another way of bookmarking (or creating a favorite) a site because you wish to come back again another time. But how often did you go back to the site through your bookmarks / favorites? Instead of schlepping from site to site in search of information, I have it all in front of me via the aggregator. The feeds are sorted in folders by topic for easy finding. If I'm writing about the latest virus or worm, then I open the security folder with the security-related feeds and scan them. Scanning content through aggregators is easier than on a Web site because it's in one folder with headlines and maybe a short summary. On a Web site, you're only getting the benefit of that site's news and no where else. The folder has news from over ten resources including blogs, news sites, and newsletters. Any content can be syndicated. It's a matter of having the backend process in place, which is dependent on the application used for managing the content. If a site doesn't have such resources, then there is software for entering content to create a file with the feed for posting on the site. Most aggregators have exporting capabilities so the feed can be shared with others interested in the same topic. If you're interested in my security feeds, I can export them into, in most cases, an OPML file and you can import it into your aggregator. Spam filters are preventing readers from getting newsletters or they get lost in the spam pool. Offering a feed for the newsletter is a compromise. Readers can get the content, only instead of it coming to the emailbox, it comes through the aggregator. It's a way around spam. Like everything else, it has its advantages and disadvantages: Advantages: - Filters can't stop the newsletter from reaching its destination.
- The recipient will get it - if the server is down, it'll download next time and email can get lost.
- The feed can be syndicated providing more exposure for your content.
Disadvantages: - Rely on readers to open aggregators like they open email client, but some aggregators are built-in with an email client like NewsGator and there are online aggregators like Bloglines, which can be your home page.
- Metrics won't be as complete, but it's still there through the links.
- Not as pretty as HTML-based newsletters.
If the feed is automatically created, what have you got to lose? You're providing another way for your readers to get your content just like you can get pizza in different ways: go to the restaurant, have it delivered, or make it at home. More applications are adding syndication capabilities, which make the process effortless. Some have said they won’t read something unless it has a feed. Syndication works better than bookmarks. With bookmarks, you click on a site that might have the security information and arrive there to find it doesn't. So, back to the bookmarks to click on another site. Lather, rinse, repeat. With aggregators, there is no jumping from site to site. Scan the headlines right there until you find what you need. There was a time when we didn't have the option to have pizza delivered to our doorstep. When we're too tired, we know we can rely on the delivery guy. In term of content, expect to see it show up at your doorstep more often than the pizza guy plus it's cheaper with the cost only coming from the software though there are many free options available. Syndication is here to stay and should be added to a company’s communication toolbox rather than as a replacement. Witness it by watching for RSS, XML, RDF, and Atom out there. Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl.net who increases conversion rates by writing and editing content so organization can focus on their core business. She is the editor-in-chief of the eNewsletter Journal and Shavlik's The Remediator Security Digest. Visit her Web site at http://www.meryl.net/blog/. |
Other Poker Site Articles
Internet Sports Betting The popularity of internet sports betting continues to rise as more and more people enjoy being able to place their bets quickly and easily. However, not all internet sports betting sites are the same and you want to find the right one for you. First you should always do your betting on a site that can guarantee that your account is 100% secure ...Casino Games - Poker As we move further and further into the age of technology, the Internet continues to evolve and create more entertainment options almost on a daily basis. So it comes as no surprise that some of your favorite casino games can now be found in online casino domains. And perhaps one of the more popular games found in online casinos is Poker. ...Types of Online Bets People who place bets online enjoy picking their team, reading the stats, and learning about new coaches. There are several types of bets a person can make online. Betting the spread is the most popular type of bet. The spread is the amount of points scored on the actual ending score of the game. Teams are usually between ten or fifteen points f ...Poker Room Gambling There are a number of websites these days that cater to poker room gambling. If you are fairly new to the game either online or offline, you will want to make sure that you choose a website with poker room gambling that best fits your skill set. Don’t expect to win any money right away; it takes time to learn the nuances of the software for ea ...Poker Room Review - Party Poker There are more than a handful of reasons people from all over the world play at Party Poker. It’s because they are the best, the biggest and offers the most variety of games at any given time day or night.At four o’clock in the afternoon on over 6,000 tables, you will find over 50,000 poker-hungry players logged into the Party Poker websi ...Newsletters VS RSS Feeds Effective direct-to-desktop publishing requires a major shift in how you look at the purpose of your newsletter It is my contention that some publishers, and most especially email publishers, are marketers first and publishers second. That means they see making sales as the primary purpose of publishing an ezine or newsletter ...Win At Online Gambling Part 2 - Games Of Skill We have already looked at how to win at online gambling with games of chance but by their very nature they are games of chance and you only need to place the bets with the best odds of success.Here we will look at 3 games to win at online gambling that involve a degree of skill where you can influence the outcome of the game.Becaus ...Online Poker Affiliate Marketing Program Getting started with an online poker affiliate marketing program is not hard; you simply need to know the important steps to take. Once you know the steps, you can generate massive ongoing income with no startup costs. An online poker affiliate marketing program is for sure a huge investment opportunity, so why not add profit to your personal si ...How to Play Bingo Bingo is like a lottery - it is a game of luck. Further, learning how to play Bingo is both easy and fun. There are lots of variations in the way that Bingo is played and learning how to play Bingo and all of its variants can prove to be an exciting pastime; one with many different prizes at stake. However, the basic principles remain the same ...Play Omaha Online If you find yourself an Omaha poker fan lost in a world of Texas hold em only players, fear not. You can sign up for a poker site and play Omaha online. Even if none of your friends know the game you love so much, you still have a solution. You can play hold em with your friends and play Omaha online. All your friends play their favorite games a ...Poker Tournaments Poker tournaments are where the real money is made at online casinos. For people new to online gambling there is a misconception that all poker play is player vs. computer—no different than video poker machines you’ll find at any land-based casino. While there are a great deal of video poker games available online, there are also plenty of gam ...Play Three Card Poker Three Card Poker is often the busiest game in any casino while the crowd watching will inevitably stand around for hours observing the game! It is a game of high intensity and everybody wants to join in as either a player or a spectator!The game of three card poker often throws people because of the two types of bonus available. However, ...Is the Phoenix Just a Myth? According to legends extending back to ancient Egypt, the Phoenix was a huge eagle-like bird who lived to be 500 years old and built a pyre of aromatic branches as it’s final resting place. The large bird would then sit on the nest which would spontaneously burst into flames, consuming it. But, from the smoldering embers, a new, younger bird wou ...Online Poker Gambling Just about everyone enjoys a good game of cards and more and more people sign up to play online poker gambling games every day. However these players do not always make themselves aware of all the rules and regulations that govern these websites and can occasionally find themselves in a bit of trouble. Not only do the rules vary from site to sit ...Unique Gambling Destinations 101 Gambling in the last century has become a global phenomenon. From a pastime to a full fledged industry, gambling has seen the ups and the downs of the gamblers as well as the countries. Gambling can be conveniently called as one constant phenomenon happening throughout the world. Glamorous gambling was earlier confined to the hottest spots of al ...You Don't Need To Be a Rocket Scientist to Start an Internet Business I was reading a book last night. I do sometimes, you know...usually just before I fall asleep in the huge recliner my wife made me buy. The book was "MBA in a Box" by Joel Kurtzman. There was an interesting remark in the Introduction. "You do not have to be the proverbial rocket scientist to be successful, unless your business is building ro ...Online Poker Games If you are a new player in the exciting world of online poker, you may not be aware of all the online poker games and options available for you to try. There are a variety of styles of poker at most any site you choose to visit, plus there are also different betting levels for each of these online poker games. You can make your poker experience ...Top Poker Room If you’re looking for a top poker room online, you’re looking at a number of factors: payout rate, ease of play, good interface, and good customer service. The last one should not be underestimated. It is important for a top poker room to have good customer service if something goes wrong with your software or if you are not paid what you are ...Gamble Online for Convenience Gambling online has many benefits, but none more important that the convenience that it offers. Gone are the days that you have to go to an actual land based casino in order to place bets on your favorite sports teams, or to take part in other casino games.Online gambling sites are available to anybody who wishes to join. They can be ac ...Poker Tables Poker tables are ideal pieces of gaming furniture designed for both domestic and casino use. A poker table is an attractive addition to a room in the house where one frequently plays poker. Folding, pedestal, and full furniture poker tables are the common types found in homes. Unlike home poker tables, casino poker tables are bigger in size and ...Online Football Betting Secrets: Bet Against Lousy Teams! Sports Betting on the NFL and college football is a national pastime. Every week millions of dollars are bet on the home town favorites with local bookies. People bet even more money with online sports book agencies. Even the major news services publish all the betting stats. If you're going to bet money on games, you might as well be as informe ...Ways to Expand Your Poker Knowledge Over the past few years, and especially of late, the popularity of online poker has been rapidly increasing. Current statistics show that there are as many as 100,000 new people signing up to play online every month. As more and more players enter the picture, the competition gets tougher. No matter how good you think you are, you will at some p ...VIP Members at Online Gambling Sites There are many online gambling sites that offer perks to their members. But the best way to get these perks is by joining a site that allows the opportunity to become a VIP member. By becoming a VIP member at these sites you will be given top notch benefits that are not offered to regular members.At most online sites, in order to become ...Use Some Auto-Responder Magic to Improve your Newsletter Imagine if John (an avid poker player) visits your website. You sell a book that helps him improve his poker game. He's highly interested in what you have to offer, but he's just not ready to purchase yet. He's still recovering from that extended holiday and needs to pay off the credit card that he maxed out playing poker online.He sees a ...Online Poker Tournament Rules As the popularity of online poker continues to increase, and more and more games are offered, thousands of players are signing up to play everyday. Eventually, as their skill and knowledge of the game increases, many of these people will end up playing online poker tournaments. Almost all of the major online poker sites now offer online poker to ...The Poker Odds If you’ve ever watched a poker tournament either in person, or on television you’ve heard a lot of discussion about poker odds. Calculating poker odds is a key element in winning at poker, but it’s not always easy. In fact some people claim that poker is not really gambling at all because there is more skill than luck involved. If you’re looking ...International Gambling 101- What You Absolutely Need to Know All of us are familiar with what does gambling stand for. But the fact is that gambling is not just of one kind. There are several types of gambling. In other words, there are various ways to steer and plunge yourself into disaster.Gambling ranges from card games, lotteries, incompetent video poker, slots to betting on games, blackjack an ...
|
