Website feeds "What you need to know"

  • Always validate your feed: http://validator.w3.org/feed/.
    • Make any necessary changes/updates as outlined.
      • If you are not technically inclined or do not understand any errors listed, make sure to find someone that is and fix them.
  • Make sure that you minimize the number of clicks your users need to make in order to reach the actual content.
    • Best practice is one click. Many calendar modules/programs create their own landing page before your user can reach the actual content. Avoid this.
  • Manage all of your feeds from one location.
    • Your blog or website blog are usually best.
  • Do not require that your users visit Facebook for content, use a website or blog.
    • Some Facebook content is restricted and only allows registered users to see it.
    • Mobile users may be blocked for your content unless they are logged on to Facebook.
  • Always provide a landing page on your website or blog for more details.
    • There is little value in posts without more information.
      • No one really wants to know you just eat, or are watching TV now.
  • Make sure your feeds are formatted in a human readable fashion.
    • Avoid short URLs in the display if possible.
    • Stick to headlines, add detail on details pages.

Really Simple Syndication:

Web feed syndication is made up of two base vocabularies: RSS 2.0 and the Atom Syndication Format. These base vocabularies are extended using namespaces to create a common set of expressions for your web feed data. The RSS 2.0 syndication format has been around since 1999. The Atom Syndication Format was released in 2005 under the standardization process of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Should you use RSS or Atom?

Choose RSS or Atom for feed syndication based on which will best represent the original data. Most renderers support both. Keep in mind that if you syndicate audio or video in your feed, RSS offers more reliable compatibility across deployed players. If however you would like to use your feed as a lightweight API, Atom should be your format of choice.

Extended vocabularies

RSS and Atom take advantage of XML to express data not included in their base vocabularies. A number of companies and organizations have authored namespace extensions to represent a variety of data.It is always best to stick with mainstream extensions for the best compatibility.

Feed marketing

Once your feed is published, if it uses well-understood element sets and valid markup, you can take advantage of The Wave! The Wave will make sure the world can find your latest updates.

"The Wave" imports event, calendar, news and video feeds from member websites and other resources. It then sorts and categorizes this information into local, regional and national news and events. These feeds are then syndicated and spiderwebbed to massive directories, feed search engines and thousands points across Internet.

For the technical version of Really Simple Syndication Best Practices, please visit: http://www.rssboard.org/rss-profile

If this seems too technical, but you really want to do it right, please contact us.