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 | | What is an RSS Feed?Defining RSS
Many Web sites out there offer RSS feeds. You click, you receive - it's just that simple. But just what are you getting into with that innocuous mouse button of yours? What in the world is an RSS feed in the first place?
Technically, RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and it only exists online. Imagine a Web site with a whole lot of content (text). Perhaps it's a news site, or a very popular blog on the Internet. This site then takes that content and syndicates it. With the RSS feed, any user on the Internet can receive this syndicated content. It is sort of like buying a subscription to the newspaper. You order the paper and suddenly, it starts to appear on your doorstep. An RSS feed is the exact same thing - but the "newspaper" appears right on your computer.
Why Use an RSS Feed?
Okay, so why do you need an RSS feed when your email inbox is already full of junk mail? RSS feeds are not advertisements but actual content: news, information, blog posts and articles. The best thing about RSS feeds is that they're not random. You have to subscribe or sign up in order to receive an RSS feed. Sometimes, the local paper may deliver free copies to try and get you interested in their service. RSS feeds will not do that - you won't receive an unsolicited RSS feed, because in the majority of cases the service is always free.
When you have an RSS feed, you save yourself the time and trouble of searching the Internet for the information that's pertinent to you. Suppose you get online every day to check major news headlines, entertainment information, etc. With an RSS feed, all you have to do is get on the computer and you don't have to search out anything - the feed you subscribe to is already there, and available.
There is another factor when considering RSS feeds. In almost all cases, sites providing RSS feeds want you to use them as much as possible. It's perfectly acceptable for you to put an RSS feed on your own Web site, thus getting daily content where your visitors can access it, too. You can stay up on business news, what's happening on Wall Street, politics, whatever you own personal interests are, and you can make the same information available to your own Web traffic. This is why RSS feeds are so popular, and also why so many sites offer RSS feeds completely free of charge.
Offering an RSS Feed
Does your site have a lot of regularly-updated content? A popular blog or newsletter, perhaps? You might even consider offering an RSS feed to your own Web users. The RSS feed puts your Web site's name out there in a bold way. The more subscribers who have to your feed, the more marketing you get. Those same subscribers might be sharing their feeds with others, who might share that feed you get the point. Word-of-mouth spreads about your site, your content becomes more popular, and suddenly business is improved. This is of course a good-case scenario, but in truth there aren't too many negatives associated with offering an RSS feed.
If you've got content to provide, there's no reason not to offer an RSS feed. In a worst-case scenario, no one will subscribe to the feed. It takes up very little space on the Web page, and if no one subscribes then your business will pretty much remain the same. If they do subscribe, it might improve, but it certainly won't fail if the RSS feed fails to gain attention and acclaim.
Creating an RSS Feed
So, how do you go about putting the RSS feed on your own site? If you know how to write code, it is easily done when you edit a page on your Web site. There are online tutorials which can walk you through the process. If you'd rather leave it in the hands of a professional, talk to a Web designer about creating an RSS feed and finding the best way to market this service online. Web designers can help you take care of this and other details when it comes to creating an RSS feed on your own site. |
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| The Hundred-Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals That Are Destroying Your Health
by Randall Fitzgerald |  | In the tradition of Silent Spring and Fast Food Nation, investigative journalist Randall Fitzgerald warns how thousands of man-made chemicals in our food, water, medicine, and environment are making humans the most polluted species on the planet. A century ago in 1906, when Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act, Americans were promised "better living through chemistry." Fitzgerald provides overwhelming evidence to shatter this myth, and many others perpetrated by the chemical, pharmaceutical, and processed foods industries.
Plume (June 26, 2007)
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Paperback: 304 pages | Consider This:- The average American carries a "body burden" of 700 synthetic chemicals
- Chemicals in tap water can cause reproductive abnormalities and hermaphroditic birth
- A 2005 study of lactating women in eighteen U.S. states found perchlorate (a toxic component of rocket fuel) in practically every mother's breast milk
- Lab tests have found that four common food additives-aspartame, MSG, and two coloring chemicals-interact synergistically to produce nerve damage. These additives are commonly found in junk food marketed to children.
- In the past few decades male sperm counts fell by 50 percent, women's tubal pregnancies increased by 400 percent, and girls eight years old and younger began experiencing puberty. Chemicals are redefining what is "normal"
| Editorial Review:
In 1906, Congress passed the US Food and Drug Act and, according to the author, this has led to the "Hundred-Year Lie" that our food and drugs have been investigated and are safe and that the additives and chemicals put in them may actually make them better than the organic, natural variety. As an investigative reporter, Fitzgerald is expert at using scientific documents, articles in science and environmental journals and expert interviews to support his case. He concludes that we cannot rely on the government, science or manufacturers to either protect us or predict the effects of the products we ingest. As a test, Fitzgerald had his own blood analyzed for toxins and, in spite of living in an area of California known for its pure water and air and careful eating habits, he was shocked to find many toxic chemicals in his blood. While many readers will not agree with his conclusion that "Merely by choosing a diet of pure foods and a lifestyle free of synthetics, we can detoxify ourselves and initiate the healing of many degenerative illnesses and diseases," this book will cause any reader to think about the effect of our own voluntary actions on the health of our bodies. His suggestions for practical steps one can take may prove useful as well, although in the paperback afterword, he fears that denial will prevent most people or governments from taking any significant action.
Reviewer: Nola Theiss (Vol. 42, No. 1) |
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