Understanding how RSS feeds can help you: A Video Introduction to Using Web Feeds
RSS and web feeds serves many useful purposes, especially for content aggregators, which are simply websites what collate and categorize large amounts of useful information through web feeds.
Staying up to date through blog and website feeds is a easy method anyone can use to learn about how to make money online from a wide variety of sources.
There’s only so many websites you can visit in one day and web feeds will allow you access more material and knowledge at a more efficient pace.
The short 3.5 minutes video introduction to web feeds and RSS by Common Crafts has been circulating around the web for a few days and I got reminded of it when I read Chris Lodge’s blog a while ago.
But before we get to the video, let’s a look at how this video linkbait has benefited Common Crafts.
The video in question in question hit the front page of Digg two days ago and was heavily linked by many bloggers. According to Yahoo, Common Craft’s post on the video has already received nearly 1,000 links from other websites.
What does this mean?
- You don’t always need a new concept or idea to successfully attract attention. RSS is really an old topic and I’m sure many have already written about feed subscription tools or how it benefits the casual internet user.
- Simplification of the complex will provide ready-made solutions for people who are either unwilling or unable to explain a topic in detail. I’m sure a lot of bloggers have linked to the video because the info it offers will help to increase their feed subscriber base.
- Videos and images are more susceptible to viral dissemination. Would there have been as much buzz if it was just a simple four paragraph text-based introduction to RSS? I doubt so. Perhaps a skillfully designed comic strip might do just as well.
RSS in Plain English - The Video
This video is taken from Common Craft’s post on RSS feeds:
There are two types of Internet users, those that use RSS and those that don’t. This video is for the people who could save time using RSS, but don’t know where to start.
Now that you’ve seen the video, here are some feed readers which will allow you to get started immediately. The following three feed readers are most heavily used by subscribers reading Dosh Dosh.
A feed reader that I currently use. Google Reader might load a little slow at times but I love how it is so easy to use. A very clean, no frills and straight forward reader that is perfect for beginners.
2. Bloglines
A classic feed reader that is used by many. I’ve tried them out for a while but moved on to Google Reader.
3.Netvibes
Very impressive start-page that allows you to quickly scan through a lot of blog and web feeds. There’s a lot of useful stuff apart from the traditional feed display capabilities.
Taking the next step…
Having watched the video, don’t you think it would be far easier if you read Dosh Dosh through a feed reader?
All you’ll really need to do is to click here and subscribe to my blog feed.
Great minds think alike Maki!
Dawud (HealthyDesigns) just introduced this video to me, and I posted it on my web. I was just telling him, I can’t wait to test and track this particular page and see how and if it has an affect on my subscriptions. Interestingly, 95% of my RSS subscriptions go to feedblitz email, and I have low RSS feedreaders.
We’ll see…
Thanks again, for including more information for us to digest and consider beyond the video itself. Your research is extraordinary! Were you are academician in the past?
I always use Google reader and i love it…
It’s interesting that, as the technology of web feeds becomes more popular, so many people are turning to web-based solutions like Google Reader or Bloglines or what-have-you instead of traditional application-based solutions. I personally use Vienna, a feed-reading application for the Mac, and I’m sure there’s similar quality freeware readers for Windows, but these web-based solutions seem to get the most attention. It must be a sign that the concept of web-based application solutions is coming of age when a new tech concept comes along and more people are turning to the web to deal with it instead of traditional applications.
Of course, I’m saying this as I’m developing my own sort of web-based aggregator…
Google Reader’s my choice too.
I posted the short video clip on my blog a few days back. It really is a simple explanation.
Nice post, Maki.
Hi Ponn,
Thanks for commenting! I’m not an academician in the past but will possibly be one in the making ..
Glad you enjoyed the little bit of analysis there.
With all the interesting blogs out there, RSS is a necessity.
No way to spend hours browsing every blog, everyday. I have a free report on RSS, I am going to include a link to your blog post. You can download at no cost here: A Z To RSS and How it can make you money
Thanks for the link Maki
The video is so well done, it really gets the point across without lecturing. I use Google Reader as well, if I had to make one complaint about it, it can be a little slow updating feeds - and I have tried it against my old reader which would have the updated feed when GR didn’t.
Still a great product though.