by Nino
eBay Staff Member

With the Internet now host to billions of web pages, keeping up to date with the information you want can be a drag. Until recently, the main method that users had to obtain the latest information from their favorite websites was to keep going to the sites themselves. For example, if you wanted to get the latest news from news websites like bbcnews.com or cnn.com, you had to visit those sites every day (or as often you wanted the update).

Wouldn't it be better to have the latest news and features delivered directly to you, rather than clicking from site to site? Well now you can, thanks to something called RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

RSS allows you to identify the content you like and have it delivered directly to you. It takes the hassle out of staying up-to-date, by showing you the very latest information that you are interested in. Many sites, including eBay, are taking advantage of this useful tool by providing “RSS feeds” for their changing content. Sites often indicate that they use RSS feeds by displaying an RSS button () or an XML button ().

Using an RSS reader
To access an RSS feed from a site that you're interested in, the first thing you need is a software tool called an RSS reader. There are many different versions, some of which are accessed using a browser, and some of which are downloadable applications. All allow you to display and subscribe to the RSS feeds you want. Several free and commercial RSS readers are available. (Here are some examples, provided by dmoz.org.)

Once you have an RSS reader, simply go to the bottom of any RSS-enabled page you are interested in, click on the RSS button (), copy the URL (web address) from the page that opens, and paste it into your reader to display the content in RSS. Most readers are set up to check the feeds from each site periodically (depending on the reader) so that you get the latest information.

A few browsers already include RSS reading functionality. For example, Firefox, Opera, and Safari already support RSS, and Internet Explorer has announced support for it in the next release – IE 7.

An added benefit of RSS is that when you are browsing other sites you do not need to provide your email address in order to sign-up for RSS feeds. All you need to do is to subscribe to the feeds by copying the feed URL. Not giving away your email address improves your privacy and keeps you in control. You can unsubscribe from a feed anytime you want.

eBay features you can access via RSS feeds
You can use RSS on eBay to stay on top of changing content such as item listings, discussion threads, announcements, and more. eBay currently provides feeds for eBay Stores, the General Announcements Board, System Announcements Board, Discussion Boards, and the Workshop Board. eBay's current feeds follow the RSS 2.0 standard, which is supported by most readers at this point.

RSS feed for your eBay Store
If you own an eBay Store, you can include your most recent listings in RSS feeds for your potential buyers. You can include up to 100 of the most recent listings in your eBay Store in the RSS feed:

1. Just go to "Manage My Store > Listing Feeds (within Store Marketing)".
2. Click on "Distribute your listings via RSS" and click "Apply". The RSS button should appear on the lower left hand side of your Store.

If you have included your Store listings in an RSS feed, tell your buyers about it! Include a message to your Store visitors telling them how they can get information on the most recent listings in your Store. Ask your buyers to take the following steps to add your Store to their RSS feeds:

1. Go to the homepage of your eBay Store.
2. Scroll down all the way to the bottom of the page.
3. Right above the “Tools” section there should be an RSS button (). Click on that RSS button to get the feed.
4. Copy and paste the feed URL into an RSS reader.

Note: If you follow these steps and don't see an RSS button at the bottom of the page, it's because that particular Store seller has chosen not to have their listings show up in RSS feeds.

RSS feed for General and System Announcements
Subscribing to RSS feeds can help you can stay abreast of the latest eBay announcements. On the General Announcements Board, you'll find the link to the RSS feed in the left-hand navigation box, next to the XML () button. On the System Announcements Board, you can scroll down to find the link towards the bottom of the page.

Once the RSS feed appears, copy and paste the feed URL into your reader.

RSS feeds for Discussion Boards
RSS can help you keep up with your favorite boards. Every discussion board on eBay, and each individual topic within those discussion boards are RSS enabled. For example, you can subscribe to receive an RSS feed for the Giving Works Discussion Board. This will give you updates if a new topic has been added or updated. You can also subscribe to receive an RSS feed that provides updates when a response for a specific topic within a discussion board has been entered.

To subscribe to these RSS feeds, go to the bottom of the discussion board or the topic you are interested in and click on the RSS button (). The RSS feed will be shown. Copy and paste the feed URL into your reader.

With RSS technology you can become more efficient in staying on top of news and information updates from your favorite sites. eBay is committed to adding RSS capability to other features on our sites in the coming months, so stay tuned!