Tying It All Together -- RSS Feeds

All right, so you see RSS here and RSS there, but really, what can you do with it? Besides having a funky little orange logo, it actually is useful. I’ll show you some benefits of RSS.

First, the function of RSS feeds originates from the need to have a way to broadcast an article and let others pick it up even if they never visited the Web site. This is known as “syndication,” thus, the term RSS means Really Simple Syndication. On the Internet, this is morphed into a staple for any Web 2.0 service to help attract users who don’t necessarily have time to visit a web site.

AOL Message Boards are no different. An update to a board will be pushed out to the RSS feed, and with a news aggregator (also known as a “feed reader”) you can view the updates without necessarily browsing the board in question. There are plenty of free aggregators out there; see the bottom of the posting to check them out. One way to see your message boards in the feeds is extensively covered by Ryan. The way to get the RSS feed URL is straightforward:
1. Locate the RSS Feed icon. Note that it may also look like () on other web sites and browsers.

2. Right click and select Copy Shortcut. This will leave you with the RSS URL. You can now put it in anything that aggregates news. A hint on where to start, is your AIM Pages "Feeds" module.

So you might be asking yourself, “OK, I know what RSS is and that I can use a reader, so what?” Great question. You can tinker with it and use the feed to your advantage and put it in your AIM Page. AIM Pages themselves operate on “modules” which are essentially snap-ins to build a complete page. You can read more about modules and widgets from the AIM Pages Blog. You can easily add the “Feeds” module and enter in the RSS URL, and you’re done!

RSS is very useful and easy, so if you want to add your AOL Journal to your AIM Page, you can! Keep in mind that as of now, the “Feeds” module is placed under “Rich Text & Feeds” category. Ryan talks about his fun with RSS, and shows off his feeds for you to check out.

Also, my AIM Page has an example that I mentioned here of message board RSS feeds.

Tags: RSS, Feeds, Web 2.0, AOL, Syndication, AIM Pages, Tips, AOL Community

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