In the most recent versions of WordPress, the code that aligns images with text in your blog posts has changed. While your posts look fine on your blog, they probably loose their formatting when being sent out on your RSS feed. It’s very likely that the image sits in its own paragraph, isolated from the associated text, which usually appears below the image instead of beside it.

There is a workaround for this problem. It’s not exactly a kosher fix, but it does resolve the problem for most feeds. A WordPress plugin has been designed by Janis Elsts called Align RSS Images.

It scans your RSS feed and ensures that every image has the correct alignment and margin settings. Basically, it appends the WordPress generated code with HTML elements that most all readers can use without error.

So, get the plugin and make your feed look as good as your post. Your followers will be delighted.

There are actually three parts to a feed. They are:

• The subscription link.
• The feed delivery service.
• The feed reader (not to be confused with the person who is viewing the feed, which we’ll call the viewer).

The feed subscription link is usually a logo or text link placed in the sidebar or header of a blog. When viewers subscribe to the feed, new blog posts will be delivered to them instantly and automatically without them having to go to the blog to view it.

The posts are delivered from the blog to the viewer through a feed service. The top service is FeedBurner. Burning a feed means that the blog post is auto-formatted to be compatible with any application the viewer uses to read it. FeedBurner also offers multiple ways to customize and optimize your feeds as well as giving you valuable stats on your subscribers.

One of the applications a viewer can use is known as a reader. There are three basic reader formats. The first is email. A viewer can choose to have your blog posts delivered directly to their inbox.

The second is an aggregator. This is the application that is generally referred to as a “feed reader.” It allows the viewer to build a virtual newspaper from multiple feeds all in one location. In other words, the viewer can go to their feed reader and view all posts from multiple blogs without having to visit each individual blog. They never miss a blog post. But, unless they remember to view it every day, they may not get the most time-sensitive information quickly.

The third application delivers posts to Internet-compatible phones. Blog posts must be formatted correctly to be read on small screens. They must also be optimized properly for quick upload to these devices.

RSS actually stands for “Really Simple Syndication” meaning that your feed is also made available for posting in other sites. There are many sites on the internet that are hungry for good material. If they like your posts, they can subscribe to your feed and repost it on their site, giving you a much broader audience.

Click here for more info on why you need RSS feeds.

Like this post? Share it on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the button below.

Another good reason to have a blog is that it allows you to interact with your viewers, making the dissemination of news a more personalized experience. It also allows the viewers to interact with one another, to a certain degree, by replying to each other’s comments. This creates a community environment and encourages viewers to become invested in your site, which means they will return again and again.

Because of the availability of comments, blogs can give you much-needed feedback for your ideas. It also allows you to address any questions a viewer might have about your post. By having the questions and answers available on your blog, where other viewers can see the concern addressed, you may not have to answer countless emails with the same question.

Blogs are great tools for simplifying the delivery of your information to multiple sites. By using RSS feeds, you can use the postings on your blog to automate the process of getting your information syndicated and your viewers immediately notified that there is a new post. You can even auto-populate other sites with just one post to your blog.

Like this post? Share it on Twitter and Facebook by clicking the button below.