Blogging 102

KCM?

How You SeeThousand Blog (Online) a Second

A presentation to the Clogger Summit 2007 by Doeuk Visal

August 31, 2007 – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

What We Will Cover

• RSS & Blogs• RSS – Use4 – Benefits – Access• RSS – How – 4Blogs – 4Readers –

4SEO - Validate• Better Services than RSS?

RSS & Blogs

• In 1994, the new magical term was the “@” sign.

• In 1997, the new magical term was “www”

• In 2007, the new magical term was “rss”

RSS & Blogs

• Blog or weblog is a web site that contents relatively short entries, usually in chronological order

• Blog can “generate” RSS feeds, depending on Blogging software

RSS -

• Really Simple Syndication• Rich Site Summary• RDF Site Summary

RSS uses• Blog entries• Photos• Podcasts• Music• Library Circulation Record• Table of Contents• Any data that is constantly updated or

add to

RSS - Benefits

• Receive updates without visiting each web site

• Can monitor large number of sites very effectively

• Short summaries or “Table of contents”• Alternative to email notifications

RSS - Access

• RSS readers, feed readers, feed aggregators or news readers

• Desktop, Web Based, Built-in or Email Based

• A collection of RSS feeds can be shared by OPML (Outline Processor Makeup Language) file and imported by others into their RSS reader / aggregator

RSS–How24Blog(WP)

• RDF/RSS 0.92,2.0(4comment)/Atom/• <?php bloginfo('rdf_url'); ?> • <?php bloginfo('rss_url'); ?> • <?php bloginfo('rss2_url'); ?> • <?php bloginfo('atom_url'); ?> • <?php bloginfo('comments_rss2_url'); ?>

RSS–How24Blog(WP)

• http://example.com/wp-rss.php• http://example.com/wp-rss2.php • http://example.com/wp-rdf.php• http://example.com/wp-atom.php

Ref: http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Feeds

RSS–How24Readers

• RSS Reader• RSS aggregator• Feed Reader• Feed aggregator• News Reader• A program that can read RSS file

RSS–How24ReadersDesktop (window)

• SurfPack• FeedDemon• Pluck• Awasu• SharpReader• FeedReader• intraVnews• RSSReader

http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-software.htm

RSS–How24ReadersDesktop (window)

• NewzCrawler • QM Nooze• Blog Navigator• Abilon• ActiveRefresh• BlogExpress• EffNews• InfoSnorkel

RSS–How24ReadersWeb Based

• Bloglines• Rojo• My Yahoo• Google Reader• My MSN• MyFeedster• NewsGator (online)

RSS–How24ReadersBuilt-in Browsers

• Firefox > 1.5• Safari • Opera• IE 7.0

• Pluck

RSS–How24ReadersEmail Based

• Senders • Email Readers

• Thunderbird

RSS – SEO

• The title should contain important search terms

• Subscribe to feeds • Alphabetical rank • Meaningful Links

• http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-seo.htm

RSS – Validate

• http://feedvalidator.org/• http://validator.w3.org/feed/

Secret to gettinggood SEO

• This is the story of the little spider. The spider searches web pages all over the world and brings the results home. If the spider is called frequently and told where to put the web page, there’s a higher possibility it will be put on the front page of the search engine. The secret is – it depends on the spider!

Blogging

• Every time you blog, it “pings” the major search engines. This calls the spider. This only happens once with a webpage. With a blog, it happens with every post!

Where to put it

• The RSS feed created by a blog becomes VERY valuable. It helps chop up the website and tell the spider where to place the pieces. A blog about a “widget” could make it to number one on a search engine when a person searches “widget”. Difficult for a static website.

Quick Primer of Blogging

• To create a blog, I would suggest to try www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com

• Both are free and gives you ALL the tools you need to get started

Quick Primer OnRSS Feeds

• To read blogs, you can go directly to the URL or read the feed in a feed reader

• One of the easiest is Google Reader though there are many others available (including applications and the browser itself)

Social Networking

• While a blog is the base of good SEO, it has become a backdrop to a whole new world of how people connect with each other. To be found or followed, you must now be part of a larger “online community”. This not only creates traffic, but also requires you to brand or label yourself. This is the start of Social Networking.

The better services!

• Technorati• Flickr• del.icio.us• Digg• Skype• Twitter• Facebook

Technorati

• www.technorati.com• Keeps track of who is talking about

what in the Blogosphere• Ranks bloggers and feeds• Number one resource for search

engine labelling (VERY IMPORTANT!)

Flickr

• THE best place to host photographs online YOU WANT to share

• Has a RSS feed and Social Network community

• Utilizes labels and tags• Not to be used just for hosting

website graphics (Photobucket better)

del.icio.us

• Online bookmarking service• Sometimes as powerful as Google

or Yahoo! for searches• Uses label• Has the best RSS feed

Digg

• The most popular andinfluential ranking system on the Internet

• Anyone’s site or blog can have “millions of hits” within 24 hours

• Can become aware of important events before the “media” reports it

• Social network community with RSS feed

Skype

• The largest “world telephone company” in existence

• Great text ability• Only service to allow effective

creation of groups• The world greatest “common

denominator” application.

Twitter

• The ultimate “micro blogging” platform• Encourages people to follow you and

you to follow others• An “influencer” tool… not a stalking

tool!• Can be controlled by RSS feeds so you

can bring everything in your world together both online and on your mobile phone.

Facebook

• The most recent “explosion” on the Internet for Social Networking

• Also referred to as the “walled garden” because it provides easy access to RSS and other techie things for non-techies

• Most people who hate tech love Facebook

Conclusion

• RSS in and of itself is nothing more than a technology. It’s simply another way to access personal or professional information. Ignore RSS, and you’ll be like a caveman walking in a modern city – amazed but have no idea what’s going on.

Conclusion

• RSS does not need to be studied and learned to be program. It simply needs to be understood and utilized in your online strategies – whether it be marketing a product or looking for an old friend online.

Thanks forattending• Questions?• To contact Doeuk Visal:

LinuxRescue@gmail.com.comwww.openetwork.info