blogging 102

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

This is Part Eight The Magic of The Enclosure sub-element Within Item a continuation from my articles on RSS – All available at Ezine Articles (EzineArticles.com)

• Part One – “RSS Mania Addiction – An Introduction to RSS and the Terminology”
• Part Two – Outline of How to Create an RSS Feed”
• Part Three – The Template File”
• Part Four – The Basic Elements of the Channel Element”
• Part Five – How The RSS Feed Works & Some Programming Constructs”
• Part Six – RSS Channel Sub-Elements Specifically Image & How To Use It”
• Part Seven – Understanding RSS – Part Seven – The Elements Within the “Item” Element

Now it is time for Magic. Ever hear the term “PodCasting?” Well it originally came from the Apple IPod and that little device that has swept the world allowing everyone to hook into their favorite music (and now video etc.) The RSS specifications grew with the world around it and therefore the little XML “enclosure” command came to be found within the files.

What does this mean? Well at first RSS was limited to the text format. What RSS first generation files were doing were spreading the news of the world in small little text headline files. Of course the human desire for ever more and more is impossible to stop. What if we wanted to send picture? Well there is the [!Cdata command which we will discuss in the next article. But what if I wanted to send some type of information that was not text? That is where the enclosure does its magic.

Within enclosure I can actually place any audio, mpg, jpeg..whatever into that little element. And what this means to the aggregator is, "Hey, my RSS file also has a few small additions that come with it. Grab those as well." And as part of this element the RSS file also says, "Hey, this is the format and this is the size of the file. Because I am being courteous and nice, and I want you the aggregator to know just how much you have to grab."

For those quick thinkers out there, what one can actually do in an RSS file is this.
Take Janis Joplin and her album "Ball & Chain". Well we would create an item for each of the songs, (I will show you how to do this in another article), describe each one of them in the "description" element and put an mp3 of the song defined in the item in the enclosure command. And then anyone who wanted to get my RSS feed on Janis would be able to read a description of the songs and listen to them.

Or say I wanted to release a few short-shorts on Shakespeare's Sonnets. I would read them, record them, and then put the text of each into the description and my mp3 recording into the enclosure.
Voila! An RSS on Shakespeare.

One critical caveat. Remember these are not text files and therefore they can get large. The larger they are the more the aggregator has to grab, the more bandwidth etc. Remember that when you release your songs on the Net in an RSS file for those IPod-ers out there!

Just to remind you. The enclosure command consists of three parts:

1. url - The URL of the actual enclosure.
2. length - The size in bytes and not an estimate but a total size
3. type - A standard MIME type, e.g. Audio, Video, Text etc. A list and explanation of standard MIME types can be found here - http://www.fileformat.info/info/mimetype/standard.htm

Lets see how this would be done, without too much coding. We will begin with the Item Element, so this is just a part of the RSS file. (I left out the guid here.)

[http://www.janisjoplin.com/songs/summertime.html]

Summertime, And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’ And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby Don’t you cry
One of these mornings You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings And you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning There’s a’nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime, And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’ And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby Don’t you cry

George Gershwin sung by Janis Joplin

Blues

Jazz

[http://www.janisjoplin.com/comments/summertime.html]

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 23:00:00 GMT

There you have it. An RSS PodCast. One item of the song Summertime. Of course your RSS will have every song on the album. Anyone who applies to the feed will be able to listen to all of Janis’s songs in their RSS feed – Their Podcast. And you can do the same with a video, pictures etc. For all the “current” terminology take a look at Wikipedia.

There you go your Podcast. Next article we will attack the controversial [!Cdata command structure.
After that you will have a complete well formed XML – RSS file.

Copyright © 2005 Ted W. Gross. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author’s information with live links only.)

Author: Ted Gross
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing

Reading time: 5 – 8 minutes

This is a continuation from my articles on RSS

• Part One – “RSS Mania Addiction – An Introduction to RSS and the Terminology”
• Part Two – Outline of How to Create an RSS Feed”
• Part Three – The Template File”
• Part Four – The Basic Elements of the Channel Element”
• Part Five – How The RSS Feed Works & Some Programming Constructs”

Now we have covered some of the major points in the “Channel” element, we will now cover the various sub-elements in the channel element – specifically the “image” element.
Crtitical Point – None of these are required EXCEPT for the command line of:

However it would be to your best interest to include some of them.
Our purpose is to create an RSS feed template that you can use, and what is known as a “well formed XML document” which will pass validation with flying colors! (And make you into a techie as well!)

Those of you who understand RSS templates might ask why I am concentrating so much on the Channel element and it is a valid question. The thing is that possibilities within a Channel element are all meant to actually “publicize” the information for your entire web site. If you are CNN or Microsoft or the New York Times you have nothing to worry about. But if you are like the majority of us out there, then every bit of information you can get into your RSS template may help. Additionally, it is simply good practice to include some of these elements as the more RSS spreads the more they will be used.

First let me briefly cover the three sub-elements which you will almost NEVER find in an RSS template. (You can easily skip this part, unless you want to understand most of the innards of the RSS 2.0 specification.)

• Cloud sub-Element – This sub-element which will appear as follows: . Its purpose is to allow a processes to register with a cloud to be notified of updates to the channel. In other words the Cloud acts as a farm to feed out RSS feeds to “computers” connected to it. Sort of like a buffer.
• textinput sub-element – This sub-element is strange in that I have yet to find a use or clear description of what it is supposed to do. Mostly ignored by all.
• ttl sub-element – This sub-element announces announces its ttl = “Time To Live” to the aggregators before they should refresh the information from the source. An example of this would be:
  180 Which tells aggregator that it has 180 minutes before it must return to refresh the information from the source. (If you read Part Five of the series you will know this is sometimes an important sub-element.)

Okay now we are ready for Channel sub-element of image. The image defined here is the image usually asscociated with your RSS feed or your web page. In other words usually it is your LOGO.

Since your LOGO is of critical importance, as most people are visual and they do associate pictures with names, (as the Internet proves over and over again), you should take the time to get this into your RSS template. It is fairly simple so follow these four options within the sub-element of image.

Ready?

1. First we continue the list (from article four and repeated below at the end with the “image” command. No Biggie here. Just typing or cut and paste.
   

2. Next we have the “Title” command. In here usually goes the name of the Business. “Randy Pandy’s Perfumery” in our case. That is easy enough.
   

3. This next one is optional but good practice. This tells the parser how big your logo is, by width and height. If you don’t know, just call up in a directory and run your mouse over the file or ask for its properties by right-click. It will tell you the height and width. Remember this is an RSS file, so make the logo a small size and keep its weight down. Good practice is no bigger than 250(w) X 150(h) (and that is huge) and no heavier than 20k (and that is heavy!) We will go for 142X99.
   

   14299

4. Now you tell the parser in the “Link” command just where your web site is. That is simple and we have done that already. So..
   

   [http://www.randpandy.com]

5. And finally in the “URL” you tell the Parser through your RSS file just where the LOGO can be found on your web site. (Do not link it to your home computer as that is NOT your web server!)
   

   [http://www.randpandy.com/images/randylogo.jpg]

6. And finally we close off the “image” tag.
   

See that was not that hard was it?

Okay lets see what are rss.xml file which will make our RSS feed looks like until now.

RSS Feed for The Great Perfume Products Sold At Randy’s Pandy’s Perfumery

“Copyright 2006 Randy Pandy’s Perfumery – All Rights Reserved”

[http://www.randypandy.com]

en-us

randypandy@randypandy.com (Randy Pandy)

webmaster@randypandy.com (Pandy Randy)

Ecommerce

Mon, 5 Dec 2005 23:00:00 GMT

Sun, 4 Dec 2005 23:00:00 GMT

That’s it for the Channel element! YEAH!
And guess what? You can get away without using most of these commands.
However as I keep on saying it is good practice.

Our next article will discuss the basics of the “Item” element.

Copyright © 2005 Ted W. Gross. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author’s information with live links only.)

Author: Ted Gross
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Multi-cooker

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

There are quite a few different ways in which a professional SEO Services Company can help you to achieve high rankings, high profits and maximise website traffic. Here is just a small selection on how SEO Services can help you make the most out of your website.

1. SEO Auditing.
With an SEO Audit from your chosen SEO services Company you can find out everything about your website and current SEO strategy. That includes problem areas, techniques that have not yet been addressed, competitor marketing moves and more. A complete SEO Audit is the essential first step to any marketing strategy.

2. SE Friendly Web Design.
You may not be aware of it but even your website code could be hindering your SEO efforts. With the right SEO Services you can eliminate problem areas in your website design and incorporate new, search engine friendly techniques to help your website become the best it can be.

3. Link Building Services.
With link building services you don’t have to worry about your website rankings. You can obtain high page rankings through efficient and effective link building services. Link building can mean a variety of different SEO techniques. This can include social media networking, social bookmarking, forum posting, article submission, blog commenting and more.

4. SEO Content Creation.
The content on your website itself could be a vital element to your SEO campaign. Your SEO strategy will depend upon certain keywords you want your website to rank highly on. This means you will need to make sure your website focuses on these keywords properly in the content and that the content is relevant and useful to the reader if they have searched for these terms. With an analysis of your website content you may find that Content Creation SEO services are the best step for you to take. Without the right SEO content your website will not benefit from any SEO marketing strategy.

5. SEO Monitoring.
Even after you have enjoyed the benefits of SEO services to help you with your marketing online, it may be beneficial for you to obtain further monitoring SEO services for your website. This will allow you to keep track of your SEO plan, results, traffic, sales and conversions as well as to regularly ensure your SEO strategies are working effectively and the way they are supposed to.

6. SEO Implementation.
A professional company offering SEO Services does not just focus on providing you with advice on what you can do to improve your SEO. These companies should also offer you SEO implementation by taking your project on board and actively creating your SEO for you. That gives you the free time to get on with more important things in your business or personal life.

Author: Suzain Ku Nicole
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker

Reading time: 2 – 4 minutes

Compare WebCEO, IBP (Internet Business Promoter), SEO Elite & SEO PowerSuite

How do you sift through the top choices and choose the best SEO software at the best price? This articles gives you a framework to compare the different SEO tools on the market and find the best one that meets your needs and budget.

Web CEO, IBP (Internet Business Promoter), SEO Elite and SEO PowerSuite are among the most widely-used seo software tools out there, and all promise you growth of rankings and boosts in profits.

But just like any thing you’re buying, SEO tools have good and bad points standing behind their promises, and it’s best to evaluate further and weigh the pros and cons before investing your money into a particular website optimization and promotion tool.

Here are some features that SEO professionals look for in search engine optimization software:

Complete solution. Rather than having to buy several individual software SEO consultants would prefer a complete set of effective SEO software that is absolutely enough to achieve and maintain top traffic-generating positions in any search engine.

Easy and fast. SEO coaches (and clients) need intuitive software with no special preps, no specialized knowledge requirements, no Internet skills. The SEO software should guide users in quickly doing every search engine optimization task necessary to get the #1 position in any search engine.

Reliable. SEO consultants need proven and up-to-date software designed not by programmers only, but by SEO experts and website owners. The software should be stable and have features relevant for MNCs, Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller businesses and entrepreneurs.

Frequently updated. The search engines constantly evolve and change ranking algorithms. SEO trainers need software up to date with Google, Yahoo, MSN, Bing and the other top search engines in order to obtain top rankings within shortest time.

Works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The best SEO solution would be cross-platform and run equally well for users with Win PCs or Macintosh computers – and even for Linux fans.

In concluding, Web CEO, IBP (Internet Business Promoter) and SEO PowerSuite all have free versions – you can use them before you decide to make a purchase. SEO Elite doesn’t provide a complimentary or trial version. Therefore for this article we tested Web CEO, IBP and SEO PowerSuite free and paid and SEO Elite paid. All tools ran smoothly on Windows, and we didn’t see any crucial bugs in WebCEO, IBP or SEO PowerSuite. (Please note that SEO PowerSuite also works on Mac OS X and Linux without restrictions.)

For more SEO Software Reviews and Recommendations visit: http://www.keywordmaestro.com.

Author: Valerie K Chia
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: How Electric Pressure Cookers Work

Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes

What’s SEO?

SEO is the abbreviation of Search Engine Optimization. It’s the optimization process which is made for a website to get higher position in SERP (Search Engine Result Pages). The average SEO process is about 3 to 9 months.

SEO world with a comparison:

Lets say the number one search engine of the world, Google, is a digital ocean. Assume the competing sailing ships as websites in this vast ocean. The sail of a ship is the fundamental structure of a website because it is the essential thing which speeds the ship. The type and code structure of a website form the fundamental structure of that website. For instance a HTML sailing ship goes many times more faster than a FLASH sailing ship. Because HTML is technically more superior than FLASH in SEO competition.

Human factor in SEO competition:

Whether SEO is a competition in the digital world, human factor is the biggest decisive factor here. The human factor is the SEO specialist. Captain is the one who leads the sailing ship during the competition and completes the race successfully. The captain should know the ocean well where the competition takes place (Google). A clever experienced captain knows the dangerous and advantageous sides of this ocean. He knows when and from where the wind blows.

Perform these steps while making SEO:

Have a SEO compatible website.
Have an original and useful content.
Use the right meta tags correctly and pay attention to the meta tags-content relevancy.
All the steps that you make inside the website are called on-page optimization. Suppose that you are playing a strategical mind game with Google bot and try to use your brain and creativity in this game.
After the on-page optimization, make the off-page optimization (backlink building) slowly and confidently. Make only one-way link building (links only to your website) from high quality and relevant websites.
Optimization process is a long and demanding process. Keep up the work with patience and never give up. Suppose that you’re raising your little baby to become a mature human. Make minor updates or changes when necessary so as to have a better optimised website.
Dangerous penalty steps in SEO:
Don’t use a copy (stolen, plagiarized) content.
Don’t use hidden text or links on the background with the same color.
Don’t use cloaked pages, deceptive redirects, doorway pages or duplicate site and pages.
Don’t get paid links and try to not make reciprocal link building.
Never do spam links in SEO.

Why is SEO difficult and why is the competition rate quite high?

The answer is quite simple. If you’re not on Google 1st page after the SEO, that SEO is not beneficial at all. The maximum traffic you will get from the monthly potential traffic of the keyword is 5% when you are on the 2nd page of Google. This 5% ratio is still exceptional. Normally it would be much lower ratio. In fact this is the awful truth of SEO. Google 1st page is the only ad space. Everything starts and ends here. As we know there are 10 websites on every page of organic search results and the first main goal is having a place in top 10 then the second main goal is rising on the first page as much as possible and finally stabilize your position.

Each website which achieves getting a position in top 10 throws a website which is used to be on the first page to the second page. Therefore the competition in SEO is quite high and ruthless. In the near future this competition in Google first page will be much more difficult because the SEO market is growing day by day. “Easy” and “guarantee” words do not take place in the dictionary of SEO world. Whether the SEO competition is big or average, every 1st page competition needs serious and professional process.

Author: Hazar Umutay
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker