RSS Graffiti
Now that we have this thing called an RSS feed on Zibbet, many of you may be wondering, “What exactly is an RSS feed and what do I do with it?” RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It’s programming that allows dynamic data from one site to be “fed” to another.
In order to implement an RSS feed, you need two websites. The first website is the source of the data that you want to send, or feed, to the second, or destination, website. For example, a properly configured RSS feed will automatically send the details of a newly listed item from your shop to your Facebook profile or fan page.
Facebook and Twitter are not the only destination websites for RSS feeds. Information can be fed to any website or e-mail account that is programmed to receive RSS feeds. Blogger, for example, has its own “gadget” for receiving RSS feeds.
In this Success on Zibbet article, I will give you step-by-step instructions for setting up an RSS feed using RSS Graffiti, Facebook’s RSS feed application. Next week, we’ll look at Twitterfeed, an easy to use tool that allows you to feed data to both Twitter and Facebook. In order to have a photo of each item included in your RSS feed to Facebook, you will need to use RSS Graffiti.
To create an RSS feed to Facebook using RSS Graffiti:
1. Log in to your Facebook account.
2. Go to http://www.facebook.com/RSS.Graffiti
3. Click Go to Application.
4. You will next have to authorize RSS Graffiti to access your Facebook profile. Click the “Click here to grant required permissions” button.
5. Permission to access information from your Facebook profile and to post to your wall is requested next. Click Allow. RSS Graffiti is now added to your profile.
6. Next you will need to add the URL for your shop’s RSS feed from Zibbet. Click the “+ Add feed” button.
7. Open a new browser window or tab.
8. Go to your Zibbet shop and click the Subscribe to shop RSS feed link.
9. Copy your shop’s RSS feed URL.
10. Return to your RSS Graffiti on Facebook window.
11. Paste the URL into the Feed URL box.
12. Click the link to generate a preview. Otherwise, you will be asked to give the feed a title. I could not find a place to enter a title. However, if I created a preview before I clicked Save, RSS Graffiti automatically gave the feed a name.
13. Click Save.
If you have one or more fan pages, links to those pages will appear under your profile name on the left side of the Add feed box. Click the page that you want to send the feed to and then click the “+ Add feed” button. Proceed as described above. Note that it is possible to add multiple RSS feeds to the same profile or fan page and to retrieve data from sources other than your Zibbet shop, such as Twitter or your blog. The process for adding those feeds is basically the same as described above.
When you have completed setting up your RSS feeds, you can exit Facebook or return to your Profile or fan page. If you want to add another feed later or if you decide to delete an existing feed, click the Applications link from your Facebook account and select RSS Graffiti from your list of installed applications.
The addition of RSS feed programming to Zibbet puts another great tool in our already well equipped toolbox. Used wisely, dynamically sharing updates to your shop on other websites will increase your presence on the web and make it easier for potential buyers to find your great items.
Best wishes for much success on Zibbet!
Special thanks to UmeOrigami for sharing about RSS Graffiti on Zibbet’s Community Hub!
Vicki is committed to assisting her fellow Zibbeters improve their shops for successful online selling. She is the owner of three Zibbet shops: LOC Design Studio, Denim and Pearls and A Stitch and a Prayer. You can follow Vicki on Twitter and through her LOC Design Studio blog.Tags: Facebook, RSS feed, RSS Graffiti, Success on Zibbet, Twitter
Great post! Very useful - thanks for sharing. We will be giving it a try.
~Laura (Moags)
Such a great, easy to follow article Vicki. Every seller should set this up!
Thanks a million for this info. You rock!
Uh oh, more things to learn from Vicki. LOL
Okay did it.
You sure make the steps easy to follow.
Thanks Vicki!
Judy
Vicki
I did this for 4 of my shops. Again great directions!
Then I listed one thing on each shop.
I don’t see them showing up on my Facebook.
Does it take a while?
On their fan page it looks like they are having some problems.
http://www.facebook.com/RSS.Graffiti
So perhaps I did it right.
Judy
Judy,
Uh oh! Something didn’t work. E-mail me directly and I’ll try to help.
BTW, it does seem to take a little while for the info to show in Facebook. I listed a new item in Denim and Pearls yesterday and it took close to 30 minutes for it to show. However, it doesn’t take overnight!
Vicki
In the RSS Graffiti settings you can decide the time lapse required for the new content to appear within your facebook page - you can set it to check and list new content immedientely or at different time intervals like every 5 minutes or every 30 minutes or once a day for instance - maybe go and check the settings and see if that’s the issue.
Until yesterday, I was sending an RSS Graffiti feed from each of my shops to the corresponding Facebook fan pages and it was working but taking about 30 minutes to show. My feeds were set to publish immediately.
Further communication with Judy revealed that she was trying to feed her shops to her personal page, not fan pages. So, I did some experimenting. I set up a feed from one of my shops and one of Judy’s shops to my personal page. Judy’s feed did not appear on my page until a couple of hours ago–more than 12 hours after the feed was configured. This feed was also set to publish immediately. One reason mine isn’t showing yet is that I haven’t listed anything since setting up the feed. I’ll do that today.
I visited RSS Graffiti’s help board yesterday also. It seems that others have had similar problems. It’s important for us to understand that RSS Graffiti is still in Beta so bugs still exist and hopefully the developers are working on fixes!
Thank you for explaining the RSS feed. I added my Zibbet feed to my blog, as well as my main shop.
Thank you - Thank you
Suzanne
http://suzannemedrano.blogspot.com/
I just received an e-mail from RSS Graffiti explaining that a new version of the program will be released tonight. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!
Thank you so much for helping all of us with such great content and easy-to-follow instructions!!!!
Randi ^i^
Wow! So much to absorb. I will try this new addition and hope it brings more to my shop. Thank you, Vicki. Where do you find time to do it all? lol
Vicky, I’m a workaholic LOL! Add to that I’m self-employed fulltime so I’m constantly working to make my shops better and to share what I learn with others. Working together, we can make Zibbet “the best” place to buy and sell handmade, art, supplies and vintage. Vicki
Great article. So easy to follow. Thanks!
Was just looking for this. Thank you! Um, is Oreo the cat?
Thank you so much for this information !!! You rock