Web Content Syndication

The selection of web content from one source and publishing it on another source, when done automatically is known as Web Content Syndication (WCS).

This activity can be compared to the newsletter subscriptions sent out by most websites to keep their viewers informed about the latest events. But with WCS system, it works without the need for the email address of the viewer ensuring the privacy of the viewer. The content is re-published on a wider platform making it easier for the viewers and also gives the businesses a greater audience to the content when compared to email newsletters.

Web Content Syndication does not have any standard file formats or methodologies. Most of the businesses make use of XML derived file formats to reach out their publishing to the viewers. On having a look at the websites on the World Wide Web, one can notice that most of them are adapting their site to have its contents delivered via feeds.

Website owners utilize WCS system by using software like content management solutions which represents the contents in XML format. It appears like a list of headings of the content with a two-line introductory matter. The link on the title connects to the full content. Feed subscriptions, when compared to online newspaper and magazine subscriptions, have the advantage that they are free of cost.

Sometimes the full web content is delivered in the feed format, but mostly it would contain only briefings of the internet content with links to the whole matter. The file that is thus provided in the XML format is known as a feed, web feed, stream or channel. The contents of an XML file based feed is mostly stories or blog posts in a summary form which are connected to the full versions through links that are provided in the archive. The feeds are mostly derived from blog websites and news contents. There are also feeds that contain lists or organized information like weather update or top ten lists.

The visitors to the website can subscribe to the feed if the website has a site feed added to its page content. Currently, feeds are added to sites that are frequently updated with content.

Websites make their content available to be used by other websites, and this is referred to as “publishing a feed” or 'syndication'. It works like syndication of newspapers or other broadcasts as other sites can include the feed content on their site or even share it.

Other than re-publishing of the data, WCS also allows frequent enthusiastic readers to be updated with the latest content. The feed published by the website can be tracked by the user using facilities like feed reader or aggregator

The different available modes of feed delivery are

1. Feedreader can be downloaded to the viewer desktop, and it runs to decipher the feeds working in an independent way.

2. Feeds can be accessed in the email. External plug-ins are available for viewers who use Outlook express or POP service who can use it to read the feeds in their email.

3. Through browser. There are two modes to read feeds on browser,

* Browser Plugin

* Websites that work as an aggregator.

They allow the user to view feeds from any source through its browser. By using the web-based feed readers, viewers need not have to download and install the software. The feed can be accessed from any location. But it still has the limitation that the user will have to visit that web page each time to get the feed file.

4. On Mobile

As the web feeds are XML coded, it can only be decoded using a machine. This makes such web feeds to be used by businesses to communicate and send sales data without involving human interference.