Digital Marketing & Technology Answers for Professional Services.

It may sound like another nerdy internet term, and you may think it's just another thing you have to keep up with. But whether you're a blogger or someone who follows a blogger, RSS just makes your life easier.  

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary but is more commonly known as Really Simple Syndication.

RSS allows publishers to syndicate their content automatically, and readers to easily keep uptodate with blogs and content producers they are interested in.

Why you need RSS, right now

These are the top three reasons I use RSS:

1. RSS saves time

The internet is a big place, it's crowded and messy and distracting. When you find a great blog, or an author who inspires you it's easy to lose track of them. And often, when you do remember to check back on their site, they may not have updated their blog again. Worse still, they may have published timely advice, which you've missed, or given an offer that has expired.

RSS allows you to receive instant notification when that author next creates a new content piece. The article is sent direct to your reader – direct your laptop, tablet or smart phone, just like an old-fashioned newspaper delivery.

2. RSS helps overcome "Tab A.D.D."

I'm going to admit it, I have over 20 tabs open right now in my browser. I'm flicking between about four of them, but I've almost completely forgotten about the rest. I have what the Urban Dictionary refers to as "Tab ADD" and from my brief and unscientific research, I'm not alone here.

So with so many tabs open, it's not suprising that I lose track of interesting links. RSS offers a neat way of quickly bookmarking your favourites to come back to later. I have a habit of hunting down the RSS icon as soon as I begin to enjoy an article. That way, I know that if the phone rings, or one of an infinite number of minor family crises occurs, I have subscribed to the author and I can just check my RSS feed reader later on.

3. Blogs delivered to you.

Remember when newspapers were rolled up, bound in plastic and delivered with a tell-tale thump on your driveway? Well RSS is the home delivered version of your favourite blogs.

Once you have subscribed to an author's feed, you can be sure that you will automatically receive their latest content. No trying to remember to check back at the same time next week, or waste time looking for updates that aren't there.

Simply open your feed reader, and scan down the list of new publications.

So what exactly is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". When I researched RSS for the first time I was expecting mouthful of totally forgettable jargon. Finding out that it was actually a "really simple" something was a relief and the first clue to how valuable RSS is for busy professionals.

RSS is a clever piece of code which automatically publishes frequently updated works. Think blog entries (such as this one) and news headlines. The RSS document (called a "feed") includes full or summarised text, plus metadata including publishing date and author.

RSS Feeds are read using "RSS Readers" or "aggregators". These can be web-based, desktop-based or on your mobile device. A user "subscribes" to a feed by clicking the feed icon in their web browser or entering the feed URI into their Reader.

The Reader then automatically checks for new articles or updates and delivers them direct to the user's Reader.

My preferred method is through a reader on my iPad or through the Feeds in my SproutSocial dashboard. Using SproutSocial's dashboard also makes it really simple to share feeds to your social networks. Click 'Share' and the article is ready to post, complete with shortened URL.

So how do I get one?

1. First, you need to get an RSS account. (This is free)
   I use Google Reader. But are heaps out there. Refer to the Wikipedia page 'Comparison of Feed Aggregators' for a list.
    
2. Choose a Reader for your device.
   On iPad and iPhone I use Reeder and / or MobileRSS
    
3. Start subscribing…
   Look out for the RSS icon on your favourite blogs > 
    
4. Clicking on the icon will take you through to the subscribe page.
   You can also add a feed direct through your preferred reader.
    
5. Subscribe to my feed here.

More Questions?

Was this useful? I welcome any feedback or questions. Use the comments section below, or get in touch via your preferred method.

I'm also always looking for topics to blog about, so if you have a question about how social media can achieve your business goals and you'd like a free blog written for you, get in touch.

If you are interested in trying out a Social Media Dashboard, I recommend Sprout Social. You can sign up for a free 30 trial using this link.

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