RSS Secrets Revealed

RSS Search… Tracking Yourself, your Blog Niche or your Business

In case you don’t know Bloggers are an egotistical bunch (a-listers being the worst offenders of all of course). Otherwise where would we find the cahunas to put our diaries online for public consumption (aka blogging).

I’m willing to bet you’ve been amazed at how some bloggers (that you’ve linked to) are able to find your posts so quickly. Or how some bloggers are able to be on top of fast breaking news in a world where the news is already old news by the time you get it.

That goes for me too until I discovered their secrets. Although these concepts are simple to use, they are extremely powerful and like everything else in life you can’t play the game unless you’ve first learned the rules. So let me show you how you too can become a Power Blogger and play with the best of them.

Ego Searching: Why would you want to search yourself anyway?

Because it’s an easy way to monitor yourself so you can plug into the blogosphere and engage in the conversation. See who’s saying what about you instantly, and while you’re there you can leave a comment thanking them for linking to you. Everyone appreciates a thank you and in the process you just made yourself a new contact (or maybe even a future friend).

So how do you do this RSS Search thingy?

It’s very simple actually. All you need to do is make a keyword search of your name, your blog, company, or any keyword phrases that are related to your blog niche, and then subscribe to the RSS search results. Google News, Google Alerts, Ice Rocket, Bloglines, Sphere, Technorati and ZapTXT will all create RSS newsfeeds for your searches.

It’s Easy Peezy!

For example, I have keyword searches set up for InstaBLOKE and “Blog Bloke” (be sure to put multiple keywords within quotes) and the results are instantly delivered right to my RSS newsreader. Cool!

Here is a an example of a Google Alert for InstaBLOKE:

Don’t know how to subscribe to an RSS newsfeed? Look for an orange icon or a link that says subscribe and copy the link into your favorite RSS newsreader.

So why should you search multiple sources? Because they all deliver different results that’s why. RSS search isn’t rocket science yet and no single source has cornered the market.

Blogging your Business or You Blog Niche:

Why not search your blog niche or business and get inspired at the same time?

You can use this same method to keep track of what the blogosphere is saying about the topics that you like to blog about. For example, if your blog is about cameras, then subscribe to an RSS search for the keyword cameras  or “camera business” or “cameras for fun and profit”, or any other variation thereof and you’re instantly plugged into the conversation!

Say goodbye to writer’s block forever and never suffer from lack of inspiration again.

Don’t Know Which Keywords to Search For?

Then why not see what everybody else is searching? If you need some ideas for keyword phrases, there’s a ton of software and websites that can help you. One of my favorites is Google’s free Keyword Tool. It will give you common search queries including or pertaining to your own keywords or any website address that you enter.

Monitor Your Conversations:

RSS search is also a great way to keep track of your competitors colleagues. Use RSS search to monitor what the blogosphere is saying about you so you can respond. Most blogs today offer RSS feeds for post comments, so you can keep track of your conversations and instantly see when someone has replied.

Joes vs. the Pros:

What can be easier (or cooler) than that? So be a Power Blogger, not a Joe. Get RSS search working for you.