Blogging for Business Powered by TypePad

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" (one of the names feeds go by) and lets a reader collect information (such as headlines, stories, news, and reports) from a wide variety of sites and display it all in one place. Your blog automatically creates a feed for you – you don't have to configure anything.

But your blog – like any business tool – needs to be kept sharp in order to remain effective. And with the use of the RSS feeds that are automatically built into your blog, you can keep your message top of mind for customers and search engines alike.

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" (one of the names feeds go by) and lets a reader collect information (such as headlines, stories, news, and reports) from a wide variety of sites and display it all in one place. Your blog automatically creates a feed for you – you don't have to configure anything.

You may have seen feeds before, without knowing it. A typical subscriber will see feeds as shown below. On the left is a list of feeds, on the right, details of the most recent items (in this case, from the New York Times).

Here, traditional media feeds are used; but feeds might come from companies, public institutions, non-profit organizations, or personal blogs.

Feeds take the latest headlines from different sites and deliver them to your computer for quick scanning. Instead of having to remember to visit different places to get sports, news, the latest political happenings, or headlines, they're all in one place.

Feeds are updated in real time; the moment they're published at the source, they're on your screen. Plus, feeds are free, and most people read them using the tools provided by their homepage, such as:

• My Yahoo!
• Google Reader
• My MSN

Feeds are a must for anyone who wants to get their site noticed, increase traffic and find new customers. They can also make your business look larger than it is – an important advantage in today's competitive market.

With feeds, you:

• Avoid dealing with spam filters, or having to maintain an "unsubscribe" lists.
• Quickly inform customers of new product arrivals, recent reviews or company changes.
• Keep your employees informed about changes in the company and easily provide them information that affects their work.

Feeds can be displayed on just about any electronic or mobile device, giving you many options to reach your readers even if they're on the go and away from their desk. Feeds can be read on:

• iPods (known as podcasting), PDAs, BlackBerries, or Cell Phones
• Desktop and laptop computers
• Or, other devices such as Tivo

Looking for another way to keep your readers in the loop with feeds? It's easy to deliver information in feeds via email, because:

• Email is everywhere. All modern mobile phone and computing platforms receive it, so you can get feeds to your readers' phones or your employees' BlackBerries.
• Email is familiar and effective. When you publish your RSS feed, you use the one medium everybody has and knows and you can easily measure how many subscribers you have – turning leads into potential customers.

Some people find it hard to find things to write about. Feeds can help. You'll have a constant flow of ideas, facts, and news at your fingertips – all inspiration for your posts and all available to you 24/7.

Just like when you want to watch a video clip or listen to music on the web, you need a "player" of some kind to subscribe to feeds. Most come in two varieties:

• Web-based, which allow you to access your feeds from anywhere you go, just by signing into the website that manages your feeds.
• As an installable program on your computer that stores your feeds even if you're not connected to the Internet.

For more information on the types of feeds available and how to get them, click here.

TypePad's own Freddy&Ma was recently featured on E! news as an example of a business that uses blogging and feeds to communicate its brand message, communicate with its customers, and build business. Read more of their story at Freddy & Ma.

Case Study: Anthony Pigliacampo, one half of the Freddy & Ma team, details how blogs help him reach customers, spread the Freddy and Ma message, and expand the company's vision. See what he has to say here.