Archive for the ‘Internet Misc’ Category
June 19th, 2010 | 
Author: Do You Know About Rss Feed?
RSS is a format for syndicating content and metadata over the Internet. It is commonly used to share headlines and links to news articles. With news articles the actual article isn’t usually shared but metadata about the article is; this metadata can include a headline a URL or a summary. RSS is an important tool for publishers because feeds can be used to syndicate content and to integrate thirdparty content into your site.
Article about RSS Feeds; RSS is a form of eXtensible Markup Language or XML. Viewing an RSS feed in a web browser generally produces code that is not easy for website visitors to decipher. As a result webmasters use tools to display the content contained in an RSS feed.
Benefit to the Webmaster:
As the web has become more crowded webmasters have been striving to provide fresh and up to date content for their website visitors. Many webmasters have discovered they can easily utilize the information in RSS feeds to provide fresh web content.
RSS Allows Webmasters:
Provide fresh and relevant content on their website which encourages users to return.
Constantly changing content means that search engine spiders will visit more frequently.
Automate content delivery.
Benefit to Web Surfers:
The beauty of RSS is that readers can quickly scan headlines titles and read articles of interest. Because the information is condensed and provided in a single location users can generally review more information in a shorter time frame. Additional information is only a click away. Best of all readers choose the feeds they wish to see there is no spam with RSS. If you are not completely thrilled with the content appearing in a feed simply remove it from the newsreader.
RSS Allows for Users:
Easily locate information.
Read condensced information or ’soundbytes’ with clearly marked and dated topic material.
Classify and categorize information in an easy to navigate manner.
Maximize their time without having to deal with spam.
RSS feeds can be viewed in a news aggregator or reader which constantly updates and shows unread feeds. I found the functionality of the newsreaders to be similar to a simple email client. Consumers generally enter the URL of any RSS feeds that interest them.
RSS Allows for Content Developer:
Increase exposure in niche markets.
Communicate with user bases and reach potential customers via an alternate communication method.
Disseminate relevant information.
Define themselves as an industry expert.
Automate content delivery.
RSS has effectively standardized the format for content delivery and has effectively defined the accepted standard for content distribution and syndication. RSS will likely rival email as a means of content distribution in another few years. The shear simplicity makes the technology very appealing.
How RSS is used:
A publisher has some content that they want to publicize.
They create an RSS channel for their content.
In this channel they include items for Web pages they want to promote.
This channel can be read by remote applications and converted to headlines and links. These links can be incorporated into new Web pages or read in dedicated readers.
People see the links on various sites click on them and go to the original publisher’s site.
While headline syndication is the most common use for RSS it is also used for many other purposes. RSS is a very popular format in the weblog community. It’s also used for photo diaries classified ad listings recipes reviews and for tracking the status of software packages.
Benefit of Using RSS:
RSS is an easy way for you to be alerted when content that interests you appears on your favorite Web sites. Instead of visiting a particular Web site to browse for new articles and features RSS automatically tells you when something new is posted online.
Click on the section title link to obtain the RSS URL which you will see in the “Address” field of your browser. Simply copy this URL and follow the instructions for your particular news reader to subscribe.
About the writer: For more information on RSS Feeds visit at http://www.halfvalue.com and http://www.halfvalue.co.uk.
Managing An Opt In List For A Website
Building and managing an opt in list makes use of a system that makes it possible for website visitors to fill up an online form in order to sign up for the latest products and services offered by an online site.
Building and managing an opt in list is commonly practiced by numerous sites on the Internet to maximize their visibility on the world wide web. Building and managing an opt in list is also a proven marketing technique that many business websites use again and again to keep loyal visitors updated on the latest products available from their favorite estore.
Building and managing an opt in list is also useful for websites that provide news technology and various forms of information on different subject matters. Visitors that sign up at their favorite website’s opt in list can receive updates on products and services offered by the site. In addition the subscriber gains access to the site’s regular ezine or newsletter.
The optin mailing list provided by a website is not spam it is a legitimate sign up program for individuals sincerely interested in a website’s products and services. No one is included in the optin mailing list without prior consent.
Gathering email addresses for building and managing an opt in list
A number of free listing services are available on the Internet to gather email addresses for a website’s opt in list. However many of these free list services cannot be personalized to suit a specific site. In addition the free service list has the option of shutting down a website’s list at whatever time they choose to do so.
A better method for building and managing an opt in list begins with a good script for form processing. The script allows a subscriber to fill in a form and send it in to a specific address. The information is then processed and included in a database file.After that the website can send a personalized reply to the subscriber to thank them for their subscription to the site.
The online form to be filled up by a customer can also be customized to fit the format of a specific site. There are a number of websites that offer formprocessing scripts wherein the generally cost price of a good script is about 30.
A pop email account should be created on the website’s server in order to accommodate the influx of subscription requests. Email templates will also make the process of handling subscription request easier and faster. This will include an email template for subscription requests and possible requests from subscribers that want to unsubscribe from the Website opt in list. The option to unsubscribe helps build trust between the site visitor and the website.
Building and managing an opt in list database
Creating a database is essential in building and managing an opt in list for a website. There are a number of database programs offered on the Internet that can help process the information sent in for subscriptions. Once the database is set up a mailing list needs to be generated. This process is essential to building and managing an opt list that will continually process subscription requests from site visitors.
A database program will automatically enable a website to attend to all the details involved in building and managing an opt in list. At the same time easy access to a subscriber’s personal information allows a website to send personalized messages to a specific subscriber at any time.
Building and managing an opt in list subscriber base
Websites can employ a number of methods for building and managing an opt in list subscriber base. Putting up incentives are a great come on for building and managing an opt in list. Offering a free gift as well as providing free services with each subscription is a great technique for building and managing an opt in list. Online contests are also a very popular way of getting people to join a website optin list. In addition prizes that are related to the website’s content also help generate interest in the other products and services offered by the site.
Remember building and managing an opt in list is the ideal and simplest option to increase website traffic.
About the writer: Chonticha Marijne runs several Internet ventures including http://www.eAbundance.com and http://www.eAbundanceTools.com. She is based in Gouda the Netherlands and particularly enjoys publishing for newcomers. This article is copyright 2006 by Chonticha Marijne and may be reprinted in its entirety as long as both byline and copyright statement are included.
Auto Responders: The Marketers Magic Trick
Imagine if John an avid poker player visits your website. You sell a book that helps him improve his poker game. He’s highly interested in what you have to offer but he’s just not ready to purchase yet. He’s still recovering from that extended holiday and needs to pay off the credit card that he maxed out playing poker online.
He sees a form on your site asking if he’d like more detailed information and so he fills in his name and email address. Within seconds an email is sent to John with a short summary of the benefits offered by your book and a couple of useful tips he can use right away.
A few days later John receives another email that goes something like this:
“Hey John I know you’re quite busy especially with the holiday period coming to an end but I just wanted to get in touch with you to let you know we’ve got a special coming up for that ‘How to win at poker’ handbook you’ve always wanted.
John’s forgotten that he’d been looking to buy a book like this and this email reminds him that he needs to improve his game. John adds buying the handbook to his “To Do” list and goes about his daily business.
Another few days later John receives another email; again reminding him that the special is about to end alongside another juicy tip that’s in the book. John realizes he doesn’t have much time now and goes off to purchase your “How to win at poker” handbook.
Every email sent to John was automated. You didn’t have to wait for him to subscribe you didn’t have to personally address John nor did you have to send him an email every few days.
The example above shows how a series of auto responder emails can be used as a powerful “hands off” marketing tool for your web site.
Now take a few minutes and think to yourself “How can I use auto responders on my web site?”
No seriously. Stop and think. This simple exercise could easily add another stream of revenue to your web site that you didn’t know existed.
Auto responders can work for ANY business. You don’t need to be selling something online for them to work. For example let’s pretend you have a hair styling business. You cater towards young men looking for a modern attractive hair style. Part of your service includes helping them select a hair style that greatly enhances their facial features and gets them the compliments they’re after from the ladies.
On your website you setup a simple form something like: “Guys get the hair style that’ll get you noticed. Free email report shows you how.
Once John’s filled in the form he gets an email with a summary of tips about the type of hair style suited for men with different features. It also mentions that you’re an expert in this field and your salon regularly helps men go from dud to stud in less than an hour.
A few days later John receives yet another tip this time on how washing his hair with a different shampoo can lead to different results. John starts to see how much of an expert you are but also how much he’d rather just pay someone to take care of all this for him. He hasn’t got much time now since he’s started killing those poker sites. And so off he goes to call and make an appointment at your salon.
The content in your auto responders need to be useful. Whilst including marketing hype purely about your product and services can work if there is a strong interest you’ll usually need to provide relevant tips and information to keep your subscriber engaged and ready to pull out their wallet when need be.
You should opt to use autoresponder software that offers personalization which includes the ability to address John by his first name as that greatly increases response rates.
Finally you should TEST your auto responders. Make sure they aren’t trapped by spam filters make sure the subscribers are receiving the auto responders in the order they’re meant to be and so forth.
Armed with this new knowledge you should be able to add an additional stream of revenue that could do some serious boosting to your profits. Some online businesses use this single marketing strategy as the sole way of getting new clients. They do this because it works!
Now have you decided how you’re going to use auto responders for your business?
About the writer: This article is written by Eddie Machaalani cofounder of Interspire. Interspire is a leading provider of ecommerce shopping cart software content management software email autoresponder software and other web software solutions.
