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| How to Obtain Free Content! by Merle Fresh content is an integral part of any successful website. But who has enough free time to publish fresh content on a daily basis? Allow me to introduce you to "syndicated content." By including syndicated content on your site, it stays fresh with very little effort on your part. So how do you get it? How does it work? Slow down... All will be revealed in due time. Remember, patience is a virtue. Implementation Syndicated content is dynamic material that constantly changes. Your first step is finding it -- preferably, for free, although some will charge you for the privilege. In most cases all you do is fill out a short form, and are then given some HTML code to paste into your web page where you want the content to appear. The content will automatically change depending on the service you're using, every 24 hrs, weekly or bi-weekly. Content Types Syndicated content comes in many different forms: - News feeds - Stock tickers - Weather updates - Tips and tricks - Short articles - Even graphics and cartoons. Using syndicated content saves you time since you don't have to create or maintain it. It keeps your site fresh and interesting ensuring visitors will come back to see what's new on a regular basis. Make sure you check for any restrictions on use before signing up to use any service. Pro's and Cons As with most things there are advantages and disadvantages. We look at a few of these to help you decide whether Syndicated Content is right for your site. Disadvantages May slow down the loading of your site due to the fact that the content is being pulled from the syndicator's server. Since most free content involves a link back to the syndicator's site you may lose visitors who are curious enough to click on it. The content is seldom unique so a user may feel duped if they see the exact same piece of content on another site. Advantages Fresh updated content with no work on your part Saves you time by not having to create new content Keeps visitors returning to see what's new Where Do You Find It? Here are some links you may wish to investigate: Live News feeds http://www.isyndicate.com Syndicates over 850 sources to well over 210,000 websites. Most of their feeds come with a price tag, but some are free. http://www.moreover.com This is my personal favorite, with over 300 categories to choose from. Pick a topic that matches the theme of your site; you can even control the link colors and size. http://www.7am.com Uses a Java applet that will give you the latest headlines. Comic Feeds http://www.cartoonlink.com Work by talented cartoonists you can add to your pages free. http://www.comicexchange.com Enjoy the work of over 40 cartoonists free. http://www.callahanonline.com Syndicated cartoon guaranteed to offend and entertain. Updates itself automatically every 24 hours. Weather Feeds http://www.wunderground.com Displays current time and weather for the city you select. http://www.weatherguys.com Free to use; gives weather conditions for whatever zip code is typed into the box. Daily Tips & Fun Stuff http://www.bannertips.com Updated every 24 hours. The tips provided are on banner advertising; what works and what doesn't. http://www.surfnetkids.com Fresh fun and free content that's family oriented. Choose from daily facts, daily chuckles, and more. http://www.myzips.com Add the top 10 software downloads to your site by filling in the short form and pasting the code given, onto your page. http://www.doctorebiz.com Add Dr. Wilson's weekly column on website marketing by adding two lines of javascript to the page where you want it to appear. If you write short articles and would like to see your content in syndication and appearing on other's websites you can submit your 400 to 1,200 word articles to syndicator@web-source.net and attach a photo (80X105). If chosen your articles will be added to http://websource.net/syndicator live feed. You also may be interested in purchasing software to syndicate your own content. Check out Master Syndicator at http://www.MasterSyndicator.com which makes it easy to start syndicating your own content. Selling for only 99.00 it runs on UNIX or Linux servers. So next time your website needs some fresh content you may want to seriously consider using syndicated content. Why not benefit from someone elses work? Your website visitors will keep coming back for more, and you won't have to work so hard at keeping things fresh. ---
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