RSS and XML feeds - how does it work

Hi

Recently I got interested in rss feeds nad ability of using it on forum.

Actually I dont understand how it exactly works, so maybe someone could explain ti step by step in short points. Just basics.
Thanks

Hi

I won't bore you with the technical side of it too much!

An RSS (Rich Site Summary or Realy Simple Syndication - depends who you ask!) feed
is an XML feed. RSS is a standard for the syndication of content. IT is relay powerful. There is nothing special to them at all it is just xml in a certain fromat. XML its self is not too different from HTML except that you make your own tags up and it is very strict - ie everything must be properly nested.

In RSS you start with a description of the site that produces the feed then you open a channel which contains items, titles, authors and descriptions etc. These link to the full artilces. RSS is primarily news based which is why the date bit is included. Have a look at any RSS feed - like the one on SEOChat for example!

There are two ways for end users to use RSS feeds.
1) On a web site that is using an XML / RSS parser to display HTML. Many people use these without realising!

2) A desktop based RSS Reader that allows you to subscribe to feeds and then alerts you whent hey are updated directly on your desktop! These are quite good but not as popular.

In your application using a feed as a forum platform it can be quite good. It is an organised data structure and it is easily portable - you don't have any special database requirements. The only trouble with using XML in such a way is that it can produce very large text files which take time to parse. If you use a good structure, naming system and good indexable event driven script it will be pretty efficient. My personaly thought for a forum is that a proper database is better.

But when it comes to syndicating content RSS is great - it gives lots of SEO bennefits form all the good cvontent based links and related sites as well!

Thanks very much. It helped me a lot and cleared up some things, but to be honest I still will have learn much more about it.
Reading is always the best idea

Yeh there are plenty of quality articles about, just search for it on Google - you will find all the info you need.

I have been meaning to write an article on this as it has so many bennefits. I think what thoughs people with RSS is that they think it is different to XML it is not - its just a different standard - its just like HTML and XHTML. What throuhs people with XML is that a) they think they have to learn a new language - which you don't if you know HTML and read a bit about it and b) they get onfused by how you can make up your own tags.

Its just a set of instructions its like a recipe book - you open the book select a recipee and read the ingrediants - this is how an XML parser works!

So let us know when you have article.
Thanks for encouraging

Right now I've got really serious problem. The more I work and surf on the internet ,the more ideas I have. Using RSS is one of them.

Im just totally short of time. When I have better financial results Ill hire some people.