Bright Ideas from the Idea Lady

Reading--and Creating--RSS Feeds

09/14/04-Published every Tuesday by Cathy Stucker
Copyright 2004 by Cathy Stucker, The Idea Lady(tm)

Now that the spammers have polluted e-mail, online newsletter publishers are looking for ways to make sure the information you have asked to receive gets through to you. Although I carefully craft each issue of Bright Ideas so  that it won't be mistaken for junk mail, I know that many of you sometimes don't get an issue. And, many people who might enjoy and use the information don't sign up because they are reluctant to give out their e-mail addresses.

One answer that some publishers have found is using an RSS feed to deliver news to interested people. Perhaps while  browsing the Web you have seen small buttons marked "RSS" or "XML" on some Web sites and wondered what they are for. Sites with RSS feeds allow visitors who use RSS readers or browsers to automatically receive new articles and news items as soon as they are updated on the site.

If you would like to see how this works, you can subscribe to Bright Ideas as an RSS feed. For information, go to http://www.idealady.com/rss.htm

I'll admit it took me a while to catch on to using RSS. I thought it would take a lot of technical ability to use an RSS reader, and even more to set up an RSS feed. However, with the instructions at http://www.idealady.com/rss.htm you will have a free RSS reader installed and ready to go in just minutes. Try it, and let me know what you think.

Once the reader is installed, you can tell it to get the information you want. Locate feeds of interest to you at directories such as http://www.syndic8.com/.

And, if you are interested in adding an RSS feed to your Web site to attract more visitors, you'll get the details about a great e-book that can help you at http://www.idealady.com/rsstampede.htm The resources in that e-book helped me to have my RSS feed up and running in about ten minutes.

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Cathy Stucker will show you how to write non-fiction books and articles for fun and profit this Sat., Sept. 18, 2004, at Leisure Learning Unlimited in Houston, TX. This may be a one-time only event. Cathy is stepping in for another instructor, and she has some great inside information you are going to love. Don't miss this! To register or for more information, call LLU at 713-529-4414, and ask for course 6505.

And don't miss Cathy's popular class on mystery shopping, next Wed., Sept. 22, 2004, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at LLU. To register or for more information, call LLU at 713-529-4414, and ask for course 9201.

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Have you seen the FreeArticles.biz Web site? It's loaded with lots of free articles, many of them from past issues of Bright Ideas. 
http://www.FreeArticles.biz/ (Note that it is .BIZ)

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