Optimizing, managing, and adding features in your FeedBurner Account
In this instructional video, I am going to introduce you to FeedBurner. I will show you how to sign up for FeedBurner and how to list your current blog feeds into FeedBurner itself. Let’s get started by accessing www.FeedBurner.com. Then, click on the Get Started link.
Accessing FeedBurner
Since FeedBurner is now owned by Google, make sure you have a Google account. It is easy to determine if you already have a Google account—you may not even know you have one. If you have a Gmail account, you have a Google account. You can use this same login information to also get your new FeedBurner account. If you do not have a Gmail account, it is easy to get one just by accessing the Gmail website and signing up.
How to get the URL or link location for WordPress RSS feed
Now, I will show you how to get the URL or the link location for your WordPress RSS feed.
There are multiple ways to actually obtain an RSS feed. If this is the first time you are looking for an RSS feed, then I will show you how to do it in this simple tutorial. Just follow the easy steps. We will go into greater detail in the next section.
- Access WordPress
- Activate the Default WordPress theme
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen
- Find Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS)
- Right click on Entries (RSS)
- Copy the link location
- Return to FeedBurner to paste the RSS feed
First, make sure you have activated the default WordPress theme on your Feedburner. It is the theme with the blue header. Now, scroll down to the bottom of the screen. There will be two links, one for Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). Now, all your blog posts will be inside the Entries (RSS) and any blog comments will be posted under Comments (RSS).
When posting to your blog, you will want to make sure you only post to RSS feeds. Go ahead and right click on Entries (RSS), copy the link location, and then return to FeedBurner to paste the RSS feed.
Inserting, customizing, and managing your RSS feed in FeedBurner
Now that you have returned to FeedBurner with the RSS information, go ahead follow the easy steps to insert the copied RSS feed. We will cover important details of this process in the next section.
- Access FeedBurner
- Insert pasted RSS link
- Choose Podcaster status
- Click on Next
- Select or Edit your Feed Address
- Click on Next
- Your RSS feed is now imported
Maximizing your RSS feed in FeedBurner
You will need to select the “I am a Podcaster” option. By default, WordPress blogs will only be posted with content in the form of pure text or images unless you select the Podcast option. Selecting the Podcaster option will allow for media to be posted as well. For example, if you wish to add MP3 content or other downloadable media like flash videos, or avi videos, then you will want to make sure you have podcasting features available in your FeedBurner settings. Make sure to activate this feature just in case you would like to use such content in the future. Then, click next.
At this point, your feed has been imported into FeedBurner. As you can see, the feed title is posted. The next thing you need to do is select the Feed Address. FeedBurner will suggest the default Feed Address where you will base your feed title. However, if you feel that the suggested feed address is too long, then you may elect to shorten it. Then, click next.
The next step is to set up your new FeedBurner RSS feed. To continue, click on the feed to view the appearance. When a user accesses the RSS feed link, they will be routed to another page with options to subscribe to your blog content automatically. Users can subscribe while using feed aggregation services including feed reading software like NewsGator, Yahoo! Audio, and Google feeder. There are many options for your visitors to stay connected to your blog and receive all the latest updates.
At the bottom of the page, you will be able to see all the latest blog posts and even embedded images. This is a good indication that the RSS feed is working well.
Set up a Podcast, analyze blog traffic, and customize your user preferences in FeedBurner
It is easy to get your podcast features set up. You can customize your user preferences in FeedBurner by following the easy steps. We will review details in the next section.
- Return to the FeedBurner homepage
- Access the WordPress Video Feed
- Click on Optimize, then access SmartFeed
- Select and/or verify feeder preferences
- Click on Activate
- Click Save
Now that you have claimed your RSS feed, your next step is to set up a podcast or analyze your blog traffic. To do this, just return to the main Feedburner homepage. You can do this by clicking on the FeedBurner icon.
On the main page, you can see your new WordPress video feed has been created. You may click on the link to access it. Once you have done so, notice there is another link allowing you to edit the feed, delete the feed, or even transfer the feed. These are all options for you to consider in the future. However, for this purpose, you need to pay attention to the top navigation of the page. The top navigation allows you to optimize, publish, and make money from your FeedBurner feed.
Next, go ahead and click Optimize. As you can see, there are several options to further optimize your new FeedBurner feed. And, you can always feel free to explore some of these functions at your discretion. For now, go ahead and click on SmartFeed. The SmartFeed will make your RSS feed compatible with all reader applications. You can confirm this by making sure SmartFeed reads, “Make my feed compatible with any feed reader application.”
Making your RSS feed multi-compatible is an important step. Previously, RSS feeds were created in a different format, but with the new RSS Version 2 formatting, you will want to make sure your new FeedBurner feed is backward-compatible with every kind of feed reader application. Next, click Activate.
Activate FeedFlare in your FeedBurner options
The next step in getting your FeedBurner account optimized is activating FeedFlare. FeedFlare is a subtle but very useful function in FeedBurner that allows you to add a variety of different functionalities within FeedBurner RSS feeds. For instance, you can allow users to email your interesting blog content to their friends, and you can also allow for an automatic add. You may also activate options for users to bookmark your blog posts in Del.icio.us and Digg. Additionally, you can even share your blog posts on Facebook. Having FeedFlare RSS feed activated is a very useful feature. Simply click Activate to engage FeedFlare.
After activating FeedFlare RSS feed, you need to check for additional features that you would like to have activated on your feed. Let’s do that now.
There will be other options listed in addition to the FeedFlare RSS feed, but do not be tempted to select every single feature listed. It may be more useful to you to selectively customize your options to ensure you get the best experience out of FeedBurner. For instance, if you are a strong FeedBurner user, you may want to allow people to share your blog content. In this instance, select that option. Feel free to browse through the various options and choose the right ones for you. Once you have selected your options, you can drag your choices in the order of which you want them to appear in the menu. After you are through, click Save.
Review your FeedBurner options and details
If you go back to your FeedBurner homepage, you can review your managed options. At the bottom of each post, you will be able to see a variety of links that appear. These links are the FeedFlares that were selected earlier. This is helpful because if a visitor is browsing the latest content though your RSS feed, you or other visitors can always access the other available links and spread your content if needed. This is particularly helpful in driving traffic to your blog. Remember, you are able to add an unlimited number of RSS feeds to your FeedBurner account.
Congratulations, you have completed my tutorial on how to optimize your features in your FeedBurner account.
