RTomes wrote:

My b2evolution Version: Not Entered

I look at the statistics for my site and they are very useful. However I wonder about people that subscribe by RSS as they may be reading every word that I write :lol: and not showing up in the statistics. Is that right?

Is there any way to tell how many people are getting stuff by RSS? I am a complete ignoramus on RSS, so use words of one syllable please. I am not even sure whether the RSS feed is done from my b2evo site or elsewhere or both.

I suggest you use feedburner.com for statistics on your Feeds (RSS/Atom).

Here's how:
1) Get your RSS or Atom b2e link, I strongly suggest you use Atom:

Example: http://YOURdomain.tld/blogroot/index.php?tempskin=_atom

Take note it is _atom; _rss2; _rss not "atom"; "rss2"; "rss" (I was fooled by this a few weeks ago).

2) Open a feedburner.com account
3) Put your Atom/RSS2/RSS URL to feedburner.com (under your account)
4) Open your skin's _main.php (blogroot/skins/SkinName/_main.php
5) Find:

	<link rel="alternate" type="text/xml" title="RSS 2.0" href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'rss2_url', 'raw' ) ?>" />
	<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Atom" href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'atom_url', 'raw' ) ?>" />

and change to:

	<link rel="alternate" type="text/xml" title="RSS 2.0" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED" />
	<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Atom" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED" />

Again, I suggest you only use Atom, so remove RSS.

6) Find these:

					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'rss_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_rss_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

					RSS 1.0:
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'rdf_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_rdf_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

					RSS 2.0:
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'rss2_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_rss2_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

					Atom:
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'atom_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_atom_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

Change it to:

					<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_rss_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

					RSS 1.0:
					<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_rdf_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

					RSS 2.0:
					<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_rss2_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

					Atom:
					<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED"><?php echo T_('Posts') ?></a>,
					<a href="<?php $Blog->disp( 'comments_atom_url', 'raw' ) ?>"><?php echo T_('Comments') ?></a>

7) Upload the files to your server
8) You are done!

Don't forget to anounce your new Feed URL to your blog, tell them to update to http://feeds.feedburner.com/YOURnewFEED. Once they do, they don't have to worry about updating it ever again, as you can easily change the "source feed" of your feedburner URL without them doing anything.

Now why I am recommending Atom over RSS?
Reason #1: There are 9 "flavors" of RSS. And these 9 flavors vary in features and "purpose" of use. The difference between a "flavor" and a "version" is confusing already. There are 9 flavors and 4 to 6 versions.

Example, certain RSS flavors (and versions) do not have support for video embedding.

Reason #2: RDF/RSS has stalled in its development and has been long-forgotten. It is still popular because there is still no "official" announcement of the "new web-standard" for Feed-ing.

Reason #3: In response to #2, Atom was created. Atom is being handled professionally and being developed with a set goal and strict control. Unlike RSS which is being developed on a per company basis (thus resulting to having 9 flavors with lots of unrelated and unofficial "version upgrades"), Atom is being guided, avoiding the fate of RSS.

As a continuation of the example above, Atom provides support for video embeds, no need to worry which "flavor" and/or "version" to use, because Atom strictly guided in its development, unlike RSS.

Reason #4: Atom 1.0 has been passed to the World-Wide Web Consortium (w3c.org) and is currently the "Proposed Recommendation". Sooner or later, W3C will Officially announce Atom 1.0 (or a later version) as the "Recommendation" for Feed-ing. And from there on, Atom will become mainstream, RSS will finally go to the web-archives.

In my opinion, as someone who prefers to follow the web-standards (or the 'next' web-standards), it is to our (you and me) interest to always be on the forefront of these web-standards and what's upcoming. W3C is setting the path to removing all obsolete (or deprecated) stuff, RSS will not be included with the first phase (of course they have to give time for sites and webdevelopers to migrate), but it will come. When that time comes, we'll be more concentrated on content and layout design, we will forget about our site still using the old stuff like RSS. So better play-safe than worry about it in the future ;)

That's just my opinion and suggestion, Atom is the future, almost all Feed Readers nowadays can read both RSS and Atom. Your readers will not notice any difference at all.

If you are a fan of Google, they only support Atom and Yahoo only support RSS, note: Yahoo "flavor" of RSS ;) But they can both read RSS and Atom.