RSS Feeds and Podcasting: FeedBurner

One of the main goals of our web sites is to get information easily to many people.  We can create frequently updated content in the form of Posts to share our information on the site.

  • WordPress will create a feed from your Posts.
  • If you have audio linked to your Posts you can create a Podcast so others can listen to your content.
    • Podcasts can be heard on an MP3 player
  • Feeds are a way to allow viewers to your site to subscribe to your Posts.
  • Site followers can read your new Posts without going to your site.
    • They won’t need to keep track of your site and check it everyday to see if you created a new Post.
  • The feed can be delivered to a feedreader.
  • One feedreader that many people have that they may not even know about is Outlook.
    • There is a default folder within Outlook that will assist in subscribing to feeds and organizing them.
  • A feed or RSS feed may be represented by the feed icon or “chicklet” rssChicklet
  • Typically a grayed out chicklet means no feed is available while a orange chicklet signifies at least one feed is available on that page

With FeedBurner, you can take this one step further:

  • Make it easier for anyone to subscribe to your feed
    • FeedBurner will output to multiple feed readers
  • Users can receive your Posts by email every time you create a new post
  • Users can subscribe to your Podcast through iTunes
  • Tracking functions are available to keep up with how many people are reading which of your posts

Feeds

1. Create a Feed (Posts in WordPress)

(Click on the links to see screen shots of each step)

2. Sign in with your Google Account

  • Create Google Account (if you already have a Google account, skip this step)
  • While in Google, search for FeedBurner

3. Creating the Feedburner Feed

4. Set Feed Details

Optimize your Feed

  • BrowserFriendly – to make it look nice
  • SmartFeed – make the feed available to any reader
  • SmartCast – to enable PodCasting

Publicize your Feed

  • To show the RSS icon and allow users to subscribe using an RSS reader
  • In Chiclet Chooser choose the icon you want and copy the HTML code at the bottom of the page
  • Paste the HTML in a Text Widget in your WordPress site
  • To allow users to subscribe by email click on Email Subscriptions and click on Activate
  • Copy and paste HTML code into a Text widget in WordPress
  • Set Delivery Options  – When new Posts will be sent to your subscribers

5. In WordPress > Settings > Reading

Podcasting

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