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RSS/XML
Archives
Feed Broadcaster
RSS/XML Archives:
What is RSS/XML?
RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication"
which is a specific type of file format that can be automatically read by News
Aggregators that subscribers have installed on their computers.
Many websites publish an RSS feed that a visitor can add to their news reader
and get automatic updates when new items are published. This is a method of receiving
news without using email and without the potential problems of email filters inacurately
filtering messages.
RSS is a new technology that according to a
2005 Yahoo survey showed only about 12% of internet users had heard of RSS and
only 4% have knowingly used RSS. With these statistics in mind RSS is an interesting
new avenue for distributing content but isn't about to replace email any time
soon.
Why would I want to publish my
newsletters via RSS/XML or create an HTML web archive?
Allowing website visitors
to receive your content via RSS/XML is important for several reasons:
- Permits
users to get content the way they prefer.
- Avoids email filters that may
incorrectly filter your message based on content.
- Another way for search
engines to spider your website to have more content in the engines.
Frequently
you'll see an icon like

designating that RSS content is available from a website.
An HTML
web archive is used for many of the same reasons you would use an RSS/XML feed.
The difference with an HTML web archive is that someone visiting your website
can click directly to the archive and view your newsletter content without the
need for special RSS readers. This allows you to instantly have new email newsletters
published to your website without having to do this manually.
How
do I publish my content via RSS/XML or the HTML web archive?
- Login
to the Customer Control Panel from the top of the main
AutomateYourList page using your login name and password. This will bring
up a page titled "Online Customer Control Panel."
- Select which list
you would like to send a broadcast to. In the upper right-hand corner of the
page a drop-down box titled "Select List." Choose the name of the list you want
to edit, and click the "Go" button. The page will reload.
- Click on
the "Messages" tab. This will bring up a page titled "Message Manager".
- Click
on the "Broadcast Edit" link in the blue bar at the top of the page. This
will bring up a page titled "Broadcast Email to Mailing List".
- Click
"Create New Broadcast Message" to start a new email newsletter broadcast.
- Check
the "RSS/HTML Feed" icon at the bottom of the page to enable automatic RSS/XML
and HTML web archive creation.
Include the following links on your website
to allow visitors to access your RSS or HTML archives.
- HTML Web Archive:
http://clients.automateyourlist.com/z/article/?listname
http://clients.automateyourlist.com/z/rss/?listname
Feed Broadcaster:
What is the Feed Broadcaster?
The Feed Broadcaster
allows you to create an email newsletter broadcast automatically from RSS/XML
content.
For example, if you publish a blog you might have an opt-in
subscribe box on the page and use the Feed Broadcaster to send automatic email
newsletter updates when you publish new blog content.
The Feed Broadcaster
is not limited to just RSS content on blogs, any content created thru an RSS or
XML data source can be used to automatically create email newsletters.
How do I create a Feed Broadcast?
To start a newsletter
based on RSS/XML content follow these steps:
- Login to the Customer
Control Panel from the top of the main
AutomateYourList page using your login name and password. This will bring
up a page titled "Online Customer Control Panel."
- Select which list
you would like to create your newsletter for. In the upper right-hand corner
of the page a drop-down box titled "Select List." Choose the name of the list
you want to edit, and click the "Go" button. The page will reload.
- Click
on the "Messages" tab. This will bring up a page titled "Message Manager".
- Click
on the "Feed Broadcaster" link in the blue bar at the top of the page. This
will bring up a page titled "Feed Broadcaster".
- Click "Create New Feed"
to start a new email newsletter broadcast template.
- Enter the URL link
for your RSS/XML content at the top of the page where it says "RSS Feed URL".
- If
you wish to send broadcasts created from RSS automatically check the box titled
"Send Automatically". Leaving this unchecked will create the broadcast
but place it in "Review" status that can be sent manually after reviewing.
- If
you would like to place more than one RSS story item in each broadcast use the
"Items in Each Broadcast" drop down to specify this.
- Select a template
to import a pre-designed text and HTML message for placing RSS content automatically.
These templates include pre formatted personalization tags that allow for modification
by you or a qualified web designer.
- Once modification of the template
is complete click on "Save".
What RSS
formats are supported?
Feed Broadcaster is compatible with:
- RSS 0.9
through RSS 1.0
- RSS 1.0's modules
- RSS 2.0
- Atom
Are
templates available?
Yes, pre-designed HTML and text templates are available
for Feed Broadcasts. These templates come in many different psychological designs
and color schemes and are easily loaded with the click of a single button.
How are new story items detected?
The item
link URL is used uniquely determine a new story.
If a previously
published story has its URL changed on your publishing side it may potentially
cause the story to be sent out again as a broadcast. Be careful in editing previously
published stories if you do not intend for them to be re-broadcast.
What order are multiple story items published in the
email?
Publishing multiple stories in a single feed broadcast will appear
in oldest to newest order with the oldest story appearing at the top of the email.
How frequently do we check for new story
items?
Currently all RSS/XML feeds are checked for updates hourly starting
around 15 past the hour. This is subject to change as usage of this feature increases.
When are emails sent with new stories?
Emails
are sent to the subscribers that requested that information when the appropriate
number of story items are detected. If the "Send Automatically" option is selected
then the broadcast is sent immediately. If left unchecked, you will need to login
and manually queue the message for sending after you approve it.