What is
RSS? (Really Simple Syndication) This is the
question I pondered about eight months ago. And then not having
any extra time, (you know how life can be), I pondered the
question again six months ago and I finally took the time to do
some research. Is there an easy answer to this question? But of
course! RSS is an efficient and easy way to access information on
the Internet by signing up to have information sent to you
instead of you having to search for it directly. While this is an
overly simple explanation it pretty much sums it up. Through my
research, I found a great resource on the Internet that breaks
down the nuts and bolts of RSS in a clear and easy to understand
explanation. We placed a video on the OEN
Splashcast
player titled "RSS In Plain English". You can watch the video
by accessing OEN's "Resource" page or to make it really simple
Click on
this link. (the player is towards the bottom of the
page).
A perfect example of RSS in action The video was
produced by
Common
Craft Productions, uploaded onto
Youtube and
is syndicated on a Splashcast player via, you guessed it, RSS. By
copying the embed code of the Splashcast player you can play the
exact video, in fact all of the video's, on your own
blog or website. Pretty handy for syndicating content,
don’t you think? Additionally if I add content to the
player in the form of a new show or a different channel, your
player automatically updates too. RSS is a great tool to for
promoting the content on your website because it alerts
subscribers easily and it pulls readership onto your webpage.
News content, trade publications, industry focused blogs and any
other RSS feeds of interest can be aggregated and updated
automatically.
How do I use RSS in my business? Not sure where
to start or have very little time and an overburdened tech staff
to boot? Consider bringing in a consultant. As if stars have
aligned Marshall Kirkpatrick, the former Director of Content at
Portland-based, Splashcast media offers just that type of
service. Marshall, who just announced his departure from
Splashcast, has taken a lead blogging post at
Read/Write
Web and is available for consultation. Of mention he is
offering a
Social
Media Starter kit that will enable you to take control of the
information that you need to be more successful in your job,
business, and industry.
