New Google Reader Feature Can Create a Feed for Any Site

Google has launched a new feature for Google Reader that lets users create a custom feed to track changes on pages that don't have their own feed. In other words, you can follow changes to any site.

"These custom feeds are most useful if you want to be alerted whenever a specific page has been updated," says Google's Brian Shih. "For example, if you wanted to follow Google.org's latest products, just type 'http://www.google.org/products.html' into Reader's 'Add a subscription' field. Click "create a feed", and Reader will periodically visit the page and publish any significant changes it finds as items in a custom feed created just for that page."

Google points to examples like the Zillow home page, which would show new real estate listings, a Macy's special offers page, which would keep one informed of the latest special offers, and the NYU Computer Science Department page, which features news and highlights. You can certainly see the possibilities that this feature could open up. If data overload was a problem for you before, this probably isn't going to help. However, if you are looking to stay informed and up to date on even more web content, this might be just the ticket.

This new feature appears to solve any potential problems that could arise in the future with relation to the dying of RSS feeds. I'm not saying that they're dying, but some think they will, and if sites stop putting out RSS feeds, a feature like this would presumably allow you to continue using your feed reader to follow those sites anyway.

The feature provides short snippets of page changes so users can decide if the changes are enough to make the page worth going to. If you have a site, and you don't want Google to crawl or create feeds for it, you can opt-out. To do so, Google says you can:

• Add a <meta name="googlebot" content="noarchive"> tag to any page you don't want available in Reader. Google compares the cached and current versions of your page to determine if that page has been updated. Adding the NOARCHIVE meta tag will prevent Google from caching your page.
   
• Use robots.txt to block Googlebot from crawling your site. (You can block your entire site, or a file or directory.) However, if you decide to block Googlebot, your content will not be available to appear in search results. Doing this will not remove the previously generated feed from Reader, but Reader will stop generating feeds after this measure has been taken.

There are a few things that can prevent a site from being picked up by this feature. It only supports English-language content in HTML. Updates to content in iFrames and updates to content that requires signing in to view are not detected.

Have You Read This?

> Google Reader's Mobile Interface Upgraded

> Google Makes Google Reader More Personal

> Google Reader Gets Much-Needed Social Features

Google Now Has Its Own URL Shortener

Google made a couple of announcements today that actually combined for perhaps a more interesting announcement than either of them as stand-alone news items.

First, Google has added a new share button to the Google Toolbar, which allows users to share any site on the web via their social network of choice. Second, Google announced that with Feedburner, you can now set your feeds up to post to Twitter.

The thing that these two announcements have in common is that they both utilize a new URL shortener from Google. They tried to slip that in their quietly a couple of times, but then went ahead and made an announcement about the service itself.

The shortening service is located at goo.gl, but it is not available for broad consumer use at this point. Google is just using it itself to compliment the aforementioned services. In other words, you can't just go to goo.gl and shorten a URL yourself. However, Google says that in time, it may offer such an option.

"We think people who use the Google Toolbar and FeedBurner will benefit from a shortener that is easily accessible — making it faster and easier to share, post and email links," Google says. They also say the core goals of the Google URL Shortener are:

- Stability – ensuring that the service has very good uptime
- Security – protecting users from malware and phishing pages
- Speed – fast resolution of short URLs

Google's standard privacy policy applies to goo.gl. The company says that it may choose to publicly display aggregate and non-personally identifiable statistics about particular shortened links, such as the number of end use clicks.

On a related note, Facebook also now has its own URL shortener.
 

Have You Read This?

> Who Owns Your Content?

> Ushering In a Whole New Era of Linking Questions

> Short URL Spam a Big Threat in August

RSS E-mail 2.0 Critique

This is my unbiased review of Pawan’s recent release of ‘RSS E-mail 2.0′

What this is all about…

RSS E-mail 2.0 is a step-by-step tutorial kit containing 10 screen-capture VIDEO presentations on RSS e-mail subscription management for blog owners.

The best feature I like about is actually the video tutorial format; instead of reading a book, you could actually see how these “techie” stuff is done, right before you, so you can easily copy-cat the strategy revealed inside.

You’ll be able to easily understand what you need to do in order to manage, monetize and profit from your RSS feed content

What that means is that once your blog is setup with these RSS settings, you’ll be making money almost on auto-pilot.

If you always wanted to get paid without lifting a finger, then RSS E-mail 2.0 might provide you with the quick-fix solution, although getting rich overnight will probably never happen.

What I like about this video package is the insider “secrets”. For example… did you know you could get a new autoresponder account with AWEBER for just $1.00 [30-day trial]?

Also, do you really know how to setup your first e-mail autoresponder list in 10 minutes or less?

Or, how to create a new blog broadcast so that your subscribers get free blog updates in their inbox?

RSS E-mail 2.0 explains that and more, walking you step-by-step throughout the entire process.

And believe it or not, an autoresponder list is even more powerful than a feed broadcast. Once you capture your visitor’s email address you can follow-up with your subscribers on a regular basis, thus increasing your clicks & sales…

You can send one-time broadcast messages and recycle traffic to whatever site or product you wish… day in day out!

What I don’t like about this product is they only share a few real life RSS to Email case studies. I wished they’d include a lot more! But I guess that’s just me…

It’s in your best interest to put your hands on RSS E-mail 2.0 today if your blog RSS feed content is not fully monetized yet.

Check out the full product here and download the videos today if it fits you!

Blog RSS

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a tool useful for saving or retaining updated information on websites that you frequently visit or websites that are your favorite. RSS utilizes an XML code which scans continuously the content or subject matter of a certain website in search for new informations then transmits the information updates by way of feeding the information to subscribers.

RSS feeds are generally being utilized in blogs or news sites, though any website wanting to broadcast and publish information can use them. Once new information is sent, it will contain a headline, a little bit of text, and either a rundown or a brief review of the news or story. A link is needed be clicked upon to read further.

So as to accept RSS feeds, a feed reader is needed, called an aggregator.  Aggregators are widely and freely available online, and all that is needed is a bit of searching, you will be able to locate a certain interface that best interest you. What’s more, RSS feeds can likewise be read and retrieved from cell phones and on PDAs.

Once you encounter upon a website that you want to add or insert to the aggregator, the process can be done in two ways. Almost all sites offering an RSS feed displays an “RSS” or “XML” button in their homepage and with one click, it promptly add that particular feed to one’s aggregator. Some aggregator however, requires the need to copy and then paste the URL of the feed unto the program.

Whatever the method used, you can be certain that the feed will be accessible soon as you have inserted it, likewise, in just seconds, the next update can arrive. In the event that you do not anymore would want to accept or take in updates, you may simply delete or erase the feed from the aggregator.

Through e-mail subscriptions, you can receive newsletters. RSS feeds on the other hand, can be more convenient in keeping up with newsletter updates since they are prompt and available in an instant; you no longer have to wait for a scheduled time or day to obtain a news summary, plus, these news will never be  detained through a spam filter.
RSS feeds are widely used everyday by individuals who understand and appreciate the accessibility of fast reports and news that can be readily read and only read certain updates that appeals to them.

Aggregators

Aggregators are popular use of feeds, having several kinds. Web aggregators or portals as they are sometimes called, create this view which is then made available in a Web page. Also, Aggregators have been incorporated into e-mail patrons, users of desktops, or dedicated and standalone software.

Offering a collection of special features, such as combining more than a few related feeds in just a single view, hiding certain entries or statements that has been already viewed, and classifying entries and feeds, the aggregator is a versatile component.

Why make a feed available?

You will have more viewers, since now, your viewers can conveniently see your site without even going out and looking for that certain site. While at first, it may seem corrupt, it will in fact enhance the visibility of your site; this is so because users can easily keep up or keep tract with your site, to allow them to view in a way that they want to; it’s more probable that guests are aware should something that is in their interest is available or accessible on your site.

For instance, every month your website broadcasts a new feature. Having no feed, your viewers will always have to keep in mind to go to your site in a certain time to see if they discover something new; that is, if they can remember, and if they still have the time. However, if you supply a feed for your viewers, they can just point to their aggregator and it will instantly provide them a link along with a description of happenings or events at your site immediately.

What format to choose?

Syndication is very confusing as it uses a lot of formats that can usually be come across in the web.  However, this can easily be solved as in general, syndicated libraries are used by aggregators which conceptualize a particular format that a feed is in, in order that they can utilize a certain syndication feed.

With this, whatever format to pick is just a matter of personal preference. RSS 1.0 is far reaching, and practical should it be integrated into Semantic Web systems. RSS 2.0 is very easy and simple create by hand. And atom is an IETF Standard, does it brings constancy, stability and a natural and accepted community to support its usage.

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