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RSS - or what is now known as “Really Simple Syndication” - is a file format that is incorporated by Internet users in their websites to allow for ‘web syndication’, making their web content available in a format that can be universally understood by other people.

In essence, RSS is a ‘mini database’ that contains headlines and descriptions (a summary or a line or two of the full article) of your web content, including hyperlinks that enable users to link back to the full article of their choice.

RSS websites - that is, websites that contain RSS ‘feeds’ (articles or postings) - typically have colorful graphics to indicate to users that the specific web content is available through RSS feeds. These graphics are usually depicted by orange rectangles that are usually marked with ‘RSS’ or ‘XML’.

With its increased popularity, RSS is now being adopted and used by more website owners or publishers. Today, numerous resources are now available that aid Internet surfers (and even beginners as well) on how to set up and use RSS.

Setting up RSS feeds and adding them to your website can be a simple process that does not involve a lot of time or any money. Listed below are some simple and basic steps that you might want to follow:

1. Have your web content and/or news in an RSS feed format, such as XML (appropriate and ‘ready-made’ feeds are also available from other sources).

2. Click the orange graphic - this is the RSS feed icon. Take note of the URL of the RSS feed; this will be displayed in the address bar (for Internet Explorer).

3. Input the feed URL on your RSS feed creation program.

4. Click on the “Generate Feed” button. This will generate the RSS code for your web content.

5. Enter the RSS code in the appropriate place on your own website.

Having created an RSS feed for your website, next comes the task of publishing your web content and news and having them displayed on other sites and headline viewers. This is made possible with the use of RSS readers or aggregators.

RSS readers or news aggregators are used to view particular web contents. RSS readers contain the collection of ‘feeds’ or RSS files from content providers, and they are generally classified into 3 types:

Desktop RSS readers - also known as standalone desktop application, they generally ‘run’ in the background and are similar to an e-mail client, collecting the feeds and refreshing items automatically as they are updated.

Web-based aggregators - these are online services that enable users to personalize web pages, refreshing them each time the page is accessed or each time a person logs in to the service.

Plug-in aggregators/readers - these make use of either web browsers or e-mail clients, which allow users to view RSS feeds while inside an existing program.

Having an RSS-enabled website provides Internet users (especially those who are website owners) with the following benefits:

Allows users to generate up-to-date news and postings, as information and content in the RSS readers or aggregators are automatically updated each time the RSS feed is ‘refreshed’.

Allows users to have control over the information that they wish to view or receive, as they can remove a feed of their choosing any time they want to.

Aside from these benefits, RSS websites are also useful for people who conduct their business in the Internet, particularly in Internet or Online Marketing. RSS can be an effective marketing tool for your website, especially in the following fields:

E-mail marketing and publishing
Search engine marketing and optimization Business blogging Internet advertising
Digital public relations
Branding and e-commerce

In addition, RSS can ‘power’ your website, providing you with the following:

Valuable, updated, and relevant resources for site visitors and potential clients - RSS is ideal for websites that contain (and syndicate) a lot of information that has to be changed or updated regularly.

Search engine optimization for the website.

Increased traffic for the website - your website can ‘harvest’ and display information from other sites, driving more traffic to your own website.

A wide selection of ‘channels’ for content distribution, such as PDA’s, cellular phones, voice mails, and email ticklers.

A reliable way to have your web content delivered to Internet users and potential clients - RSS ensures that your site is viewed by the people who are interested in them, without having them blocked and ‘cleaned’ by ISPs or Spam filters.

These are just some of the advantages that RSS can give your website (and your business). The possibilities are endless, as more and more comes up almost everyday. Do not be left behind - take the advantage of the marketing and publishing power of RSS.

Malia Wofford is an up and coming internet marketing guru!Malia is the owner of http://www.moneystatspackage.com a website that offers a system that can help anyone succeed at having an automated business.

Some of you may think you do but you really don’t. You hear but you don’t listen. To hear is to just perceive sound but to listen is to pay attention.

Let’s start with the obvious. You can’t possibly listen to someone if you are talking at the same time. This bears repeating. YOU CAN’T POSSIBLY LISTEN TO SOMEONE IF YOU ARE TALKING AT THE SAME TIME.

So how does one listen? Dr. Cheryl A. Burton ,LCSW-R, DSW, psychotherapist in White Plains, NY, “The art of good listening involves the ability to hold comments which would interrupt the flow of what the speaker is trying to express, as well as the rush to respond immediately before fully digesting what is being expressed.”

Let’s say your friend is talking about their lousy significant other and before they can even finish what they are saying, you are interrupting with questions or finishing their sentences because you think they are taking to long to get to the point. That’s not listening. That’s you talking. It’s rude, annoying, ruins the flow of conversation and I’m sure you don’t like it when people do it to you.

Good listeners are active listeners. An active listener shows signs that they are actually listening such as leaning forward, giving nonverbal communication, such as facial expressions, smiling, nodding, or saying yes or umm hmm so that they know you are really paying attention. Also a good way to show you are listening is to restate or summarize their points to make sure you understand. A good listener will devote their full attention and not be distracted by surfing the Web, watching TV or looking at papers and claiming that they are listening.

Now you may be wondering why in the world should I be a good listener? What am I getting out of it? “Good listening skills are important because it communicates to the speaker that one is interested in him/her, and what is being said. One can respond more effectively and accurately if one has received the complete message that the speaker is expressing,” says Burton.

A bad listener is just the opposite of a good listener. But just in case it is not clear to you, people who have not learned the art of listening will: cut you off in mid-conversation to state their point, totally misconstrue what you said, predetermine what you are going to say, think of what to reply with next instead of listening, have no clue as to what you actually said, and seem distracted or look bored, to name a few.

My biggest problem with people who don’t listen are the ones who want to give their unsolicited advice. A majority of the time, people don’t need you to always have something to say back. They may just want to vent, confess or just get whatever it is off their mind and out in the open. They don’t need you to try and solve the problem or to agree with them. Please, shut up!

Now that you have read this article, think back to your past conversations and be honest with yourself, are you a good listener or a bad listener? I can honestly say I have become a better listener over the years. Instead of inflicting my opinions on people, I’ve learned to shut my trap and focus on what they are saying. It doesn’t always work but I’m trying.

Below is a poem I found while cleaning my apartment. It really gets to the heart of the topic this article. Read it carefully and digest what it is saying and next time someone says they have to tell you something, I hope you will actually sit back and listen.

Please Listen
Author Unknown

When I ask you to listen to me
and you start giving me advice,
you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me
and you begin to tell me why
I shouldn’t feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me
and you feel you have to do something
to solve my problem,
you have failed me,
strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I ask is that you listen.
Don’t talk or do—just hear me.
Advice is cheap; 20 cents will get
you both Dear Abby and Billy Graham
in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I am not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering,
but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can
and need to do for myself,
you contribute to my fear and
inadequacy.
But when you accept as a simple fact
that I feel what I feel,
no matter how irrational,
then I can stop trying to convince
you and get about this business
of understanding what’s behind
this irrational feeling.
And when that’s clear, the answers are
obvious and I don’t need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense when
we understand what’s behind them.
Perhaps that’s why prayer works, sometimes,
for some people—because God is mute,
and he doesn’t give advice or try
to fix things.
God just listens and lets you work
it out for yourself.
So please listen, and just hear me.
And if you want to talk, wait a minute
for your turn—and I will listen to you.

ChaChanna Simpson is an editor, author, professional speaker. She has been empowering twentysomethings with real, no holds barred advice on successfully transitioning into life after college. For more articles visit Twentity.com

Global warming, high gasoline and oil prices have several companies and many experimenters working on battery powered Motorcycles. Advances in battery technology and super efficient motors have made the electric motorcycle practical. Also fuel cells have started to appear on some models. Thin film fuel cells and other fuel cell technology promise an exciting future.

The first mention of electric motorcycles in patents was in the 1860’s but we have come a long way since then. Modern electric motorcycles are super efficient, have almost no emissions and require less maintenance.

The advantages of electrics are Lower fuel costs. It cost about one tenth as much to ride an electric. They are almost silent with almost no emissions and lower maintenance costs. The disadvantages are higher up front costs, and shorter range.

Although Gas powered motorcycles get extraordinary gas mileage–with many getting more than 50 miles per gallon–they emit more pollution than even large SUVS because they aren’t equipped with equivalent emissions-control technology.

With new emissions standards, SUVs are 95 percent cleaner than motorcycles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. While motorcycles could help reduce oil consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions, these gains come at the price of dirtier air.

Electric motorcycles eliminate tailpipe emissions, keeping pollution out of the city, and they can be powered with clean sources of electricity. What’s more, electricity costs less than gasoline. Most of the advances have been in battery technology.

Electric motorcycles are practical today because of advances in battery technology. Lead-acid batteries, which have been used in electric motorcycles in the past, are very heavy, provide a short range, and last for only a couple of years.

Some of the commercial models uses nickel metal hydride batteries. This type of battery is lighter than lead-acid batteries and more durable Lithium-ion batteries, in turn, are lighter than nickel metal hydride, and new chemistries have made them durable as well, lasting as long as or longer than nickel metal hydride batteries.

These cycles are powerful and capable of high speed. In 2006 the word speed record for the quarter mile was set at 9.1 and 135 miles per hour. Later that year the record was broken again by the same team, this time 8.9 seconds at 145 moles per hour.

Most of the production models are limited to 70 miles per hour or less. This is because they are set up for city riding. This helps extend the range, which is one of the weak points now.

Major advances in fuel cells promise an exciting future for electric cycle and cars. In one university study shows that it should be possible to make thin skin fuel cells the size of a couple of cans of coke that would power a whole house.

Many companies are using hydrogen as a fuel, but ethanol and many other substances can fuel them. The major thing that is holding back electrics right now is price. With some of the models selling for $15,000 they’re not exactly for everyone.

But prices will drop, batteries will improve and new technology in fuel cells will make the electric cycle and car a practical reality soon.

The author has a long history in electronics. Spending several years as a Broadcast Engineer and a self-employed communications technician.He has two online stores.
A motorcycle leather clothing online store he also has Gutz LeatherLadies and mens leather clothing