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RSS Feeds and Blogging for fun and profit!
Make Money From Blogs Without Writing A Single Word...
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What is a Blog?
Q: Not to ask a ridiculously obvious question, but what is a blog? And what's the future of blogs and blogging?
A: By a remarkable coincidence, Steven Streight, aka Vaspers the Grate, just asked me the very same questions about the definition of blogs on his own site, so rather than write something new, I'm just going to quote what I wrote for him:
What is your definition of a "blog"?
A blog isn't what everyone thinks it is.
In fact, on this very page, you have a pile of definitions of blogs that I disagree with.
Why?
Because everyone likes to focus on the *presentation* of information and blogs are really all about the *management* of information.
Here's what I mean: if you think that a blog is a web site characterized by frequent articles displayed in chronological order, typically with timestamps, a la a journal or diary, you're missing the forest for the trees.
Weblogs, instead, are just the facade that we see of considerably more powerful content management systems that really revolutionize the maintenance of Websites.
Look at it this way: if you're not using a blog to help manage your site, when was the last time you added any new content or revised an existing page?
When you do add content, do you make sure to link it into all the other pages on your site, including your sitemap?
Sure, there are other software solutions for managing Web sites, but none that are as flexible, easy, inexpensive, and SEO-friendly as weblogs.
What is the future of blogs?
Having said that, I think that blogs are going to go the way of the dinosaur, evolving from an animal we spot into the petroleum we use to fuel our journeys, without giving an iota of thought to the source of the petroleum.
It's not that blogs aren't cool and interesting, but just as geeks used to learn PostScript so they could work with printers and display systems and now...
...have no idea that PostScript is the underlying language of many devices, so we'll find that we can focus on our sites, how the information is displayed and how we utilize it for our needs.
After all, the bottom line is the same as it was before the blogging "phenomenon":
How do you find the best, most useful and valuable information on the Internet for any given question, problem or query?
Dave Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on business and technical topics and is the author of 18 different books and thousands of magazine articles. His Q&A Web site is http://www.askdavetaylor.com/
RSS Round-Up: Whats Happening with Simple Syndication?
Have you been following the explosion of RSS -- Really Simple Syndication -- activity online? Seems this new method of "getting the word out" is picking up steam. Why? Partly because of the Davids, and partly because of the Goliaths. The "Davids" -- the little guys -- are able to deploy the technology since it is easy to use and usually is a feature of Blogging software (Blogging is another emerging trend -- for more articles on Blogging, visit WebFadds.com). You just click the option and send your RSS feed (broadcast your articles) out to subscribing sites. And the "Goliaths", the likes of Yahoo, Google, MSN and others, are all catering to it in various ways. Let's look at some of the latest ways this is playing out...
Why Blog?
It seems everyone these days is talking about blogging. Everywhere I go, I find articles and forums devoted to this craze. I also have heard from many home business owners who are trying to figure out what a blog is and how they can use one to their benefit.
Gathered Statistical Data Announces that Blogs will Dominate the Internet in Less than a Few Years
... if not months to come.
7 Tips for Successful Blogging
So, you have a blog! Do you have traffic? Do you know how to build traffic to your weblog? There are seven proven methods for building readership of your blog. They start with defining the purpose, or life, of your blog. Then, after you have a blog worth promoting, driving traffic is crucial to your ongoing success at blogging.
The Power of the BLOG
Can a Blog earn you a prison sentence? Ask Mojtaba Saminejad. He is an Iranian whose Blog, published in the Farsi language, earned him a two-year prison sentence in June 2005.
Blood Test for Your Blog?
Are you contributing to one of the estimated 36.1 million (and growing) blogs online? Or are you thinking of entering the fray and starting to publish a blog for your small or home business? Make sure you are publishing the right type of blog for your kind of business, or all that writing time will have been for naught.
Update Your Websites Content Automatically 24/7 Using RSS(Real Simple Syndication) and RSS Feeds
RSS(Real Simple Syndication) is the newest form of content syndication to hit the Internet and is widely becoming the best known way online to deliver fresh targeted content to your website(s) to whatever audience you're targeting 24/7/365.
Fun Free Feed Tools For Both The Publisher And The Reader
As you've probably been reading, there are basically three problems many webmasters have with web feeds (that is, among those who are already familiar with them on a basic level).
Simple Syndication (RSS) -- Wheres The Payoff?
How RSS really does pay off...
Why Every Artist Needs a Blog & How to Create an Artist Blog
As an artist, the key to selling more artwork is maximizing its exposure. The internet is an increasingly popular tool for promoting original art, and if done properly, can be quite profitable.
Blog Problems
What in the world is up with the world of blogs? Blogs are meant to be this great new technology where people can share their ideas and interests with others around the globe. As far as I'm concerned the state of blogs is one of chaos, confusion, and anti-interactivity. The other day I decided to do some research on the Web and try to connect to some blog writers out there that interested me. Let me tell you it was not an enjoyable task as I had envisioned. I spent four painful hours surfing through around a thousand on-line journals, and I found only a few that interested me. What are we doing out there people? First of all, just getting to a blog can be a pain in the arse. For example, you type in the words 'Philosophy blogs' and a whole bunch of sites come up. Some are conglomerate sites with thousands of journals, but the area you're searching for may have only one blog in it! This is because they separate the blogs into a million different categories, like 'love', 'lovers', 'lovable' etc. Why not have just a few main categories to choose from? The next problem is the content. People with 'philosophical' blogs are having personal chats with their mates about the local dance competition on Tuesday! Why not go to a chat room if you just want to talk to your friends? Blogs are supposed to be a personal viewpoint expressed to the whole Web community. Wouldn't you actually like to meet more people like yourself? How is this going to happen if you talk in strange uncommon slang and acronyms that you and your friends can only understand? Please stick to the subject at hand, and take it at least half seriously. Another major problem is the fact that you can find a really cool blog that sparks an interest, but then find that the writer hasn't added an entry in over a year! What's it doing on the Net? Have these people passed away? I seriously doubt it, as there are so many blogs in this 'lost' state. Having a blog is a responsibility; it's a shared diary for the whole community. How can someone form a relationship if you only write in your blog once a millennium? Back to the subject of content: These on-line journals are a real chance to communicate regularly with others with similar views to yourself. We can learn a lot from each other, as each human is an individual with special traits and skills that only they have. So why do we see so many blogs just talking about trivial nonsense like 'Who the coolest movie actor is.' Humanity is an intelligent species evolving everyday towards a higher consciousness. So where are all the thinkers out there, the people who have taken us to the next levels of spirituality and scientific exploration? I'd really like to hear what you've got to say, but all I can find are philosophical beliefs on why died pink jeans express one's true inner self. The issue of making comments on someone's blog is also a controversial one. Why have comments sections if you're not going to reply to people who have expressed an interest in what you've had to say? How is this community going to function if all the conversation is one-way! Come on people, wake up and smell the onions! Let's change the blogging community into the awesome structure of shared knowledge that it was intended for. Please don't let it turn into the small-talk world of chat rooms.
10 Benefits of Being a Blogger
I have been a blogger since September 2004 but only began to take it seriously this year. My blogging journey began when I stumbled upon a company owned by Google named Blogger.com that offered free tools to build a website.
How To Add Random RSS Content To Your Site
Most savvy internet marketers will know how important it is to have fresh content added to their sites on a daily basis but the problem sometimes is to find the time and/or content. Adding an RSS feed is a good way to add fresh content to a site, but the problem again is that most of them only get updated on a weekly basis.
Are You Thinking of Republishing RSS Feeds?
There is lively debate about the republishing of RSS feeds on other sites. The argument surrounds the use of RSS feeds from the feed publisher being used in an unfair manner. This includes republishing the entire articles and not displaying sufficient credit to the original source. Before we go into the details you may want to brush up on your understanding of RSS. This will help you fully appreciate and fully understand the issues involved. I am glad this conversation is happening now as it needs to be made clear what fair use of RSS feeds actually means. There may be webmasters who are republishing RSS feeds in all innocence at the moment not realising the furore that is going on around them with regards to their republishing activities. I would like to help clear up any misunderstandings that surround RSS republishing. Being an RSS publisher myself who is considering republishing other authors RSS feeds I would like to make sure I am not treading on any toes. I am basing the following RSS republishing etiquette on the good practice that Rok Hrastnik has enthused. If you wish to republish an RSS feed then you should first consult the publisher with your intentions. This would be an email to the author stating how you wish to reuse their feed and the page or pages the feed will be republished on and the attributions you will make. You will need to clarify some points. If the authors feed contains ads then will they be republished? Will you be monetizing the authors work by placing ads on your republished page? To avoid conflict these issues need to be sorted out. The general guidelines Rok Hrastrnik has provided state that the article title must link back to the original article. If the RSS feeds contains a complete article only an excerpt, Rok suggests 100 to 200 words, can be republished. A link should be provided to the article source, the website of the original publisher. Further to this it is suggested that no archives are kept on the republished site and no full articles are used. I would suggest permission is sought from the original author if you wish to keep an archive on your site. You can follow this discussion further at PR meets the WWW and Micro persuasion.
Blog and Ping is Dead
Unfortunately, this formerly reliable method of getting listed in Yahoo seems to be dead. I have used it a few times over the last month to try to get some new pages listed in Yahoo and there has been no action at all.
What Will Microsofts New RSS Windows Mean To You As A Computer And Internet User?
Nothing and a whole lot!
3 Ways to Publish RSS
As RSS news syndication gains popularity among users, new ways for publishing RSS are emerging. In this article, I examine the three most popular methods, and help you decide which one works best for you.
Blogging Your Way To Success Part 3
(Continued from Blogging Your Way To Success Part 2)
How to Activate The Firefox Live Bookmark Feature on Your Site
Live Bookmark is Mozilla's response to offering RSS feeds through their browsers and Firefox in particular. Using this technology, it's possible for any visitor to your website to add your RSS feed in only two or three steps. Browsing the RSS feeds you subscribe to is as easy as looking up a bookmark. Instead of seeing a bookmark though, you get a list of all the headlines found on the RSS feed you just subscribed to. This feature is really cool.
Why Blogs Have Become the Search Engine Optimization Equalizer
ALEXA WEIGHS IN...