Understanding RSS
Putting it technically, RSS is an XML-based format for distributing and aggregating online content. Users are alerted automatically whenever they surf the Internet for any reason. You don’t have to visit the specific website to get these alerts.
There are several standalone RSS reader software programs that can be downloaded. Feedburner provides custom RSS feeds that allow web site publishers to collect statistics on RSS readership and enhance their feeds with photos, affiliate links and eventually ads.
Google Reader makes it easy to subscribe to new feeds. All you have to do is type a URL, and from there, Google will automatically subscribe you to the appropriate feed. Additional features include adding your own favorite RSS feeds fast and easy, keyword filters for moving articles to specified folders.
The easiest way to start using RSS immediately is to use Google’s iGoogle feature, which lets you make a custom home page from your own selection of news feeds. With iGoogle, the “RSS reader” is part of
Google’s website. You don’t need to install any software to get started.
Bloglines is also a great, web-based way to read RSS feeds. Using Bloglines is smooth and easy.
What Is A Blog?
Blog is a website that lets you set up an account and create your own blog. The site has basic step-by-step instructions, taking you through the process of setting up your account, naming your blog and choosing a design template. Bloggers update their blogs. There are approximately 1.6 million new posts made per day, or over 18 per second. Blogs have become wildly popular because they make it so easy to post content online. Bloggers have the opportunity of reaching hundreds or even thousands of people each and every day.
Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves how ever way they want, and the best thing about blogging, is that most blogging sites are free. Blogger allows user to publish to a site via http://FTP .
There’s no guarantee that that site is publicly accessible. Some bloggers are even being recognized by the news establishment as legitimate journalists.
Blogs typically link to other websites and blog postings. Many allow readers to comment on the original post, thereby allowing audience discussions. Blogs often have a blogroll, linking to sites that the author thinks are interesting, informative, or useful. The blogroll is where you can see the political relationships between this weblog and other elements of the weblog community. Blogs have become the premier
lightweight publishing platform.
Choosing The Right Template For Your Blog
Blog templates determine the look and feel of your blog. The
templates can be customized or you can use pre-made templates so that
you can adjust the look and feel of your blog. Blog templates are a
specialized form of Web site template. Blog templates
come in numerous styles, colors, and designs. Some blog templates use
only simple color combinations, while other blog templates use graphic
designs of floral, fantasy, nature, animals, country, Victorian, retro,
dark and mysterious, or light and fun designs, and more. Imagine all
the CSS, all the HTML and all the images ready to go. All you need to
do is add your own content and you can have a site done within the hour.
Blog Templates are increasingly popular in several types of blogs.
The hottest area of the web, weblogging, gets thousands of new writers,
visitors, and designers everyday. Avoid choosing too “heavy” theme that
opens up slowly, there is a big chance your visitor and a potential
customer will click the return button. The template you select
determines the layout of your blog pages and includes default images
and color schemes that establish the look and feel of your blog.