May 21, 2007
If you are unfamiliar with RSS Feeds, or RSS Feed Readers, you will want to read the post What is RSS? before reading this one.
The RSS Feed Campaign I created called RSS Subscriber Campaign, has a request to use an OPML file so that it is easier to import all of your RSS feeds into a reader in a quick and easy manner. Since that campaign has enough information in it, I decided to break it into another post so that I could explain what an OPML file is and how to use it for mass subscribing.
An OPML file is a program that will take a list of RSS feeds and create another file in which you can save it in a format that feed readers will understand. Once that file is created you can mass import all of your subscriptions so that you do not have to do it one by one. Originally these were created if you wanted to export your list of feeds to another computer, or simply switch to a new feed reader. The technology, however is perfect for this campaign that we are all going to jump into now.
How to create and use an OPML file
First you need to find a site that runs an OPML program to input your list of feeds into. The site that I use is here.
On this site you will see a few options, but the big, blank box is the first thing that you are concerned with. Disregard everything else. Copy your entire list of RSS Feeds and paste them into that box. Next, scroll a little ways down and click on the button that says “Create OPML”.
This creates a page on your browser with the file you need to copy. Copy this XML page and paste it into a NOTEPAD file. There is one thing you need to adjust, however before you save it. At the beginning of several lines there will be a dash (looks like this: “-”). Delete all instances of that dash after you have pasted it into the notepad file. Save the file.
Now that you have the notepad file you will need to go to your RSS Feed Reader. Find where it allows you to “import” feeds and upload the OPML file you just created. Manage the feeds any way you want to after that. I just created a special folder for all of the feeds from this campaign so that they would be bundled together.
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