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 RSS is fast becoming an obsession
for me. I didn't plan for it to be that way. It just
happened.
I have been interested in RSS for a couple of years now
but it was only around this time last year that I started
taking a serious look at this little syndication standard
that's changing how we communicate on the web. Really
Simple Syndication. Simple phrase but it changes
everything.
I figured what better way to get to know a subject than to
write about it. Going through the vast resources of the
Internet, blogs, forums, ebooks to collect what
information I needed for my ebook and articles. The
Internet is one huge storehouse of knowledge that more
than supplied me with enough material to write a hundred
articles.
Coming from a fine art background, I also knew the only
way to really learn about a subject was 'hands on'
experience. So at the same time I started to really
implement RSS tactics on my own sites to get 'first-hand'
evidence to prove or back up my articles and writing. I
concentrated on website RSS techniques that worked with
the major Search Engines; starting my own blogs and RSS
feeds to enhance my sites and manipulating the search
engines, feeding the spiders with very legit content to
build targeted traffic to any keyword or market sector I
wanted to promote.
Experiences that have opened my eyes wider than they have
been since kindergarten and RSS is still surprising me at
every turn. Only after I had started researching and
writing about RSS did it dawn on me that I had no idea
just how Big a Player RSS is becoming and will become in
the very near future. The impact will be felt in all areas
of the web.
At the beginning of last year I wrote a simple article, 10
Reasons to Put RSS On Your Site. In that article I stated
that this year would be the Breakout Year for RSS... the
year RSS would finally enter the mainstream.
Since that article, during this year, there have been many
developments for RSS. Some of the major ones:
Google Blog Search - Which now opens up the whole
area of blog content and feeds to the one search engine
that counts. Google also finally embraced RSS despite its
major investment in the other syndication standard - Atom.
Google bought Blogger.com a while back which promotes the
Atom feed.
Microsoft's Longhorn Statement - The next version
of Windows will have RSS. This will open up RSS to the
mass market. This will put RSS center stage for computer
and Internet users.
Google Sitemaps - This XML powered system lets you
update and quickly index your site's pages in Google.
Podcasting - The enormous popularity of sending
audio files or podcasting is opening up a whole new
audience for RSS.
Media RSS - This will permit the syndication of all
types of media, including video and TV programs through
RSS, further opening up RSS to becoming a broadcasting
system for the Internet.
RSS Search - MSN, as well as other search engines,
makes it possible to search RSS feeds for the information
we need.
Mozilla Firefox Browser - This RSS powered browser
with its 'Live Bookmarks' is proving very popular with
surfers. It also proves you really don't have to know a
thing about RSS to enjoy its benefits - it can be
seamlessly integrated into the background or operating
system with the end-users oblivious to even the existence
of RSS.
Commercial RSS - Then there is the whole potential
of RSS ads and advertising which would commercialize RSS
and bring it into play by large corporations who are
mainly interested in the bottom line.
 Not to mention all those orange XML or RSS buttons popping
up on website after website. RSS is taking on a life of
its own, gaining in popularity and growing in strength.
RSS is becoming a force that has to be reckon with by
every webmaster.
How about you? Is your site RSS ready? Are you taking
advantage of RSS? Are you using RSS?
This is a gentle warning that you will start using RSS if
you haven't already and here's why... if you want your
site to remain truly competitive you must have RSS on it.
Without RSS you will be losing visitors and traffic to RSS
empowered sites. You will be losing traffic to sites that
are targeting keywords with blogs and feeds. You will be
losing traffic to those sites using the XML powered
Sitemaps. You will be losing traffic to sites that are RSS
User-Friendly and fully optimized for RSS.
You must have an RSS User-Friendly site if want your site
to be competitive. Just ask yourself, when the next
Windows browser comes online, how competitive will your
site be without RSS? What role will RSS play in getting
visitors and repeat visitors to your competitor's website?
Webmasters should be gearing up now for RSS, if they
haven't already. You have to prepare your sites for RSS.
You have to position your sites to take full advantage of
the coming RSS revolution! Take advantage of Google's
Sitemaps, Blog Search, RSSMedia, Next RSS powered
Windows...
Get Ready. Prepare your site.
RSS is not only changing the rules, it is changing the
whole ball game. RSS will transform the Internet. RSS will
play a bigger and bigger role in the success or failure of
your website.
Proceed without RSS at your own risk.
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