Feedflare, a no-maintenance tool for giving away files on your blog
No matter what you lot lot are giving away, you lot lot dot a agency of getting it to your readers. This flaming concluding to a greater extent than time-consuming than you lot lot think, peculiarly if it's an on-going gift for lots of people, non precisely a one-off gift for i lucky reader.
But if you lot lot turn over away a file, together with as well as then you lot lot precisely dot a computing device to exercise the component for you: you lot lot flaming spot a link on your weblog either inward a post (linked to from a Picture, or as an entry inward a Linked-list gadget).
However you lot lot mightiness wishing to acquire a chip to a greater extent than cunning, together with exclusively build the gift available to people who truly subscribe to your blog, because people who straight direct house subscribed are to a greater extent than in all likelihood to come upwards upwards dorsum again. This doesn't guarantee an on-going connexion - shut to folks testament subscribe, acquire the goodies together with at 1 time un-subscribe. But in all likelihood shut to testament locomote long-term readers.
Feedburner's FeedFlare tool makes it irksome to distribute a file to subscribers, using your feed, by:
- Putting the eBook (or whatever file) somewhere
- Making a FeedFlare script to exhibit the book, together with putting somewhere that it flaming concluding read (it's precisely a text file)
- Telling your Feed to use the script
- Telling (potential) subscribers how to access the eBook from your feed.
1 Put the file somewhere:
- Load the file that you lot lot wishing to distribute to whatever file-host.
- If the file-host that you lot lot role provides security (99.9% of them do), build for sure that the access options are set to either "everyone" or "anyone alongside the link".
- Make a note of the URL of the file on this system.
- Sign out of your file-hosting occupation organisation human human relationship together with test that you lot lot flaming access the file even out though you're logged out.
(Testing it at this stage agency that you lot lot don't straight direct house to worry close it later.)
I tend to role Google tools because at that topographic dot are less in all likelihood to concluding compatibility problems, thus I've been using either Google Docs, or a file cabinet page on a Google Sites site.
2 Make a FeedFlare script:
- Use Notepad (or whatever other text-editor) to make a text file containing the following:
<FeedFlareUnit>
<Catalog>
<Title>THE TITLE TO SHOW *YOU* IN FEEDBURNER </Title>
<Description>Download the eBook</Description>
</Catalog>
<FeedFlare>
<Text>THE NAME THAT YOU WANT SUBSCRIBERS TO SEE</Text>
<Link href="http://URL OF THE FILE YOU ARE GIVING AWAY"/>
</FeedFlare>
</FeedFlareUnit>
- Customize the text (the bits shown inward bold) to the correct values for your file.
- This file is your FeedFlare script. Save it to your computing device as YOUR-FILE-NAME.xml
Note that it needs to concluding .xml, non .txt.
- Upload the script file to a file host (see the subdivision before for options) from where it flaming concluding read as a text file.
Note: In the past, I've industrial establish life that Google Docs doesn't component for this, because when something tries to read the file it's "served" alongside a Docs header. I don't know if it's even so the case, but I to a greater extent than often than non role a filing-cabinet page inward Googe Sites to store text files, precisely inward case.
- Set the access options for this file to are set to either "everyone" or "anyone alongside the link".
- Make a note of the URL of the script-file.
- Sign out of your file-hosting occupation organisation human human relationship together with test that you lot lot flaming access the file even out though you're logged out.
(Testing it at this stage agency that you lot lot don't straight direct house to worry close it later.)
iii Tell your Feed to role the script:
- Log in to Feedburner account, alongside the occupation organisation human human relationship that owns your blog's feed.
- Click on your Feed, to come across the details close it.
- Go to the Optimize tab.
- Click on Feedflare (currently inward pecker of fare on the left mitt side, under Services)
The Official FeedFlare subdivision gives you lot lot a reveal of options for adding social networking tools to your feeds.
In the Personal FeedFlare section, enter the URL of the XML file alongside your script (ie the i you lot lot uploaded inward subdivision 2)
- Click Activate (if you lot lot haven't been using Feedflare before) or Save (if you lot lot have)
What your subscribers testament see
Once you lot lot straight direct house done this, hereafter posts that acquire out inward your feed (both emailed feeds together with via feed-reader software) testament straight direct house an icon at the bottom, labelled alongside the value you lot lot spot inward for "THE NAME THAT YOU WANT SUBSCRIBERS TO SEE".
When a subscriber clicks on this link, your eBook (or whatever the fileis ) testament download to their computer, together with may opened upwards depending on their settings for downloaded files. In Google Reader, it looks similar this - you lot lot may wishing to essay it inward a few feed-reader tools, depending on what your readers use.
Troubleshooting:
- If the URL of your feedflare file, or your eBook file, starts alongside HTTPS:// , together with as well as then convey the "S" out, thus it becomes http://...
- If you lot lot already had Feedflare activated together with are precisely adding a script, you lot lot may acquire an mistake message when you lot lot click Save. Try changing i of the Official Feedflare settings at the same 4th dimension as you lot lot add together together the script name.
Tell your readers together with subscribers how to access the file:
Making the eBook available through your feed is exclusively the commencement stride inward getting value from it. You also dot to:
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| By edited yesteryear times Felipe Micaroni Lalli (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cc_.png) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
These peole are already using a feed-reader or electronic post service subscription, they in all likelihood won't straight direct house difficulty clicking the link - i fourth dimension they know it's there. But it may concluding worth telling them what type of software they dot to role to opened upwards the file.
Tell potential subscribers close it:
Casual readers, at present together with inward the future, dot to know that if they subscribe, they testament acquire access to the eBook. How much special you lot lot dot to provide (eg telling them how to subscribe, explaining what subscribing agency etc), depends on your blog's niche together with how "subscription-savvy" your typical reader is.
You may regain that shut to readers dot a actually detailed explanation. It's in all likelihood that at that topographic dot are shut to skillful articles close this on the cyberspace already, but I don't currently straight direct house whatever links - if you lot lot regain one, please exercise acquire out of absence a comment below.
Acknowledgement together with further info:
This article was inspired by:
- A Feedflare Developer's guide for to a greater extent than inforation. Also, their commencement "Hello world" script is a useful tool if you lot lot dot to diagnose if problems getting this approach to component are due to file-hosting or to the feed itself.
Related Articles:
Adding social networking tools to your Feedburner feeds
File hosting options.
Encourage novel subscribers yesteryear times enabling Feedburner's FeedCount button
Adding social networking buttons to your Feed
Adding Amazon Associates production links together with banners to your blog.