Get Control Over Your RSS Feed

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

One of the great features of a blog is it’s “RSS Feed.”  That stands for “real simple syndication” – but it can be a little confusing and not feel so simple if you’re new to blogging.  It allows your fans to get notified when you post a new blog, if they choose to subscribe in an RSS reader.  Awesome, right? Here’s how it works for your fans:

But what if your fans don’t use an RSS Reader? What if you move your website to a new URL? How can you tell who’s following your RSS feed?

Easy answers! I use Feedburner along with the plugin FD Feedburner Plugin on my blog.

Five Reasons I’m a Feedburner Fan

1. It simplifies promoting my feed.  Through Feedburner I get all sorts of options that are easy to setup and use.

2. It allows me to offer my readers a “subscribe by email” option in addition to the usual option to subscribe with an rss reader.  You can see it in action near the top right of this page, under my welcome video.

3.  It’s easy to embed other places.  With a snippet of code from Feedburner, called the Headline Animator, I can take my blog posts and promote them on other sites.  Here’s what it looks like:

4.  It’s gives me cool statistics info.  I can login to my Feedburner account and see how many people have subscribed, what they’re reading, and more.

5. It gives me control in case I change domain names, blog software, or otherwise need to update my feed URL.  I won’t lose any subscribers, I just update the address in Feedburner and it will keep all the subscribers up to date.

Tweet
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

11 Responses to “Get Control Over Your RSS Feed”

  1. Dale L Anderson says:

    I like your little video explaining the feedburner optin form. Nice and clean look, I’ll bookmark this page and see if I can do something similar
    Thanks Dale
    Dale L Anderson\’s last blog ..Why I Help Small Service BusinessesMy ComLuv Profile

  2. Fiona Bosticky
    Twitter: abnormalmarket
    says:

    I have a question about Feedburner. Do your stats fluctuate a lot each day? Do you think people subscribe and unsubscribe so quickly?

    I’m wondering if my issues with Feedburner are unique.
    Fiona Bosticky\’s last blog ..Should you Upgrade to WordPress 3.0?My ComLuv Profile

  3. Corrie Petersen
    Twitter: virtualfreedom
    says:

    Thanks for sharing this post Michelle. I like the fact that you used the video. Great job of explaining things.
    Corrie Petersen\’s last blog ..Suggestions for Writing a good Bio for your ArticleMy ComLuv Profile

  4. George Arthur Burks says:

    Cool resource for the video’s Michelle. Thanks

    I am a Feedburner fan too. I avoided subscribing to RSS feeds for a long time because I thought a reader was something you had to download. It wasn’t until I setup my own feed till I understood how it worked.
    George Arthur Burks\’s last blog ..Membership Website – Protect Your Content With A Download Membership WebsiteMy ComLuv Profile

    • Michelle Shaeffer
      Twitter: MichelleShaeffr
      says:

      I tried RSS readers but didn’t really start using one regularly until this year and I’m so glad I did – make it so much easier to keep up with my favorite blogs.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. http://www.savvyfreelancewriters.com/30-day-blog-ch…w-participants/ | SavvyFreelanceWriters says:

    [...] small about the ideas, insights and information Michelle brings to her blog. Recent posts include RSS Feed Do’s and Don’ts, Blog Promotion and Slime. Oh, you’re intrigued now, aren’t [...]

  2. [...] posted a few weeks ago about how to setup your own blog to allow readers to follow you with RSS but didn’t share how to setup your own RSS reader for you to follow blogs you like.  (Scroll [...]

  3. [...] Do you offer your blog readers a way to subscribe by email? If you run your RSS feed through Feedburner, it’s easy to do! (And here’s why I recommend Feedburner: http://michelleshaeffer.com/get-control-over-your-rss-feed/2010/06/14/) [...]


Leave a Reply to How to Add a Subscribe By Email Widget to Your Blog | Michelle Shaeffer

CommentLuv Enabled

Don’t Miss a Post! (Free)

Email:

Or RSS:

Get a Treasure Chest of Free Resources

May I send you a treasure chest full of helpful resources for small business owners? Checklists, marketing ideas and more! You'll also receive a free weekly email from me with business-building articles (but you can unsubscribe anytime).
I will not share your information.

Connect With Me Online

Rather Listen than Read?

Follow the Blog

Follow this blog

Chatty

Top Commenters This Month - Leave a comment or two or three and you can have a link here to your site!
  • Sheila Atwood Sheila Atwood (7)
  • Melanie Kissell Melanie Kissell (6)
  • Tej Kohli Tej Kohli (4)
  • Amy Amy (3)
  • Eleanor Eleanor (3)
  • Leanne Chesser Leanne Chesser (3)
  • Marcia Francois, Organising Queen Marcia Francois, ... (3)
  • Andreas Andreas (2)
  • Angie @ Home Business Solutions Angie @ Home Busi... (2)
  • Danielle McGaw Danielle McGaw (2)
  • Keith Davis Keith Davis (2)
  • Uzi Uzi (2)
  • Angie - The Work at Home Wife Angie - The Work ... (1)
  • Corrie Petersen Corrie Petersen (1)
  • Denese Bottrell Denese Bottrell (1)

Find Me At…

Michelle Shaeffer, EzineArticles.com Platinum Author

Archives

Disclosure

Some blog posts, articles or other content on this website contain affiliate links for products or services I recommend. This means I'll get a commission if you choose to purchase something I've shared with you.
Get Free Business-Building, Overwhelm-Reducing Resources for Entrepreneurs