Pern Fandom's News Channel

Help and FAQ

Why is my stuff showing up on your site?!

Because your web content is being syndicated for use on other websites in the form of a "feed".

Huh? What is syndicated web content?

To syndicate your web content means making it available for republication on other websites. On the internet, this could mean providing content with a license for others to use it freely (e.g. projects such as Wikipedia), or publishing content in certain syndication formats, also known as "feeds".

"The terms "publishing a feed" and syndication are used to describe making available a feed for an information source, such as a blog. Like syndicated print newspaper features or broadcast programs, web feed contents may be shared and republished by other web sites." (From: Wikipedia: Web feed)

Errr... What is a "feed"? And how did my stuff get in there?

Technically speaking, the two main web feed formats are RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom. Both formats are a form of XML (Extensible Markup Language).

A web feed contains headlines, summaries and snippets of posts with links to the original, longer versions. It is essentially a self-updating link or news channel to another site's most recent additions. Feeds are also used for advertising and as a replacement for email newsletters as spam-tired internet users are getting more and more reluctant to sign up for anything that requires submitting their email address. To subscribe to a feed, you don't have to give away any personal information.

Feeds are typically published by news sites (e.g. Google News), weblogs (e.g. Livejournal) and certain message board and mailing list providers (e.g. YahooGroups).

Cool! How do I find and use such feeds?

Look for orange (or sometimes blue) icons saying "XML", "RSS", or "Atom" such as this one: Some browsers will allow you to add feeds as "channels" or "live bookmarks" that update themselves miraculously when new site content is added. The most typical use for feeds is probably to read them with a newsreader program. If you don't want to download and install a newsreader, you can also use a web-based service. For example, if you have a Yahoo account, you can add a feed's contents to your My Yahoo page via the "Add Content" button. Many blog providers allow you to add feeds to your blog site. If you have your own website, you can add a feed's content to your page (as done on this site) with a bit of coding. The Watchdragon is using the FeedForAll RSS to HTML PHP script and the Feed Digest service to display feed contents on this site.

Ok, I clicked that orange XML button and got a page full of gibberish...

That's the XML code. Pretty, isn't it? It's not supposed to be viewed in a web browser. As I just explained in the paragraph above, you'll need a newsreader or some other technowizzbang to read it properly or include it on your site.

But what about copyrights when using a feed on your site?

The content provider holds the copyright for feed contents, of course. However, feeds are by definition made available by the publishing website for others to "feed" into their newsreaders or websites, thus giving an implied license to do so. Some sites spell out license terms for their feeds, most commonly limiting them to noncommercial use only. As a general rule, as long as your use is noncommercial, you acknowledge the source of the feed, and you provide a link back to the publishing site, you can assume it is in the interest of the publishers that you use their feeds on your site. Such use would also be covered by the "Fair Use" doctrine of the U.S. Copyright Statute.

I don't have a feed yet. Do I need one for my site?

That's up to you, but it's a great way to allow others to keep a tab on what's new on your site! If you provide a feed, people can subscribe to it and add it to their blogs and pages. To get your latest news out, all you have to do is update your feed and it will be updated in all the places where it is used, drawing your feed's subscribers (and their visitors, if they display it publicly) back to your site. It's free advertising!

How in Faranth's name do I create a feed for my site?

Some programs and services will do that automatically for you. As I mentioned before, if you have a Livejournal or a YahooGroup with public archives, you'll also have an RSS Feed for it. If you create a FanFiction.Net Community, you'll have an Atom feed for it. Blogging and mailing list programs often allow you to automatically create feeds. If you want to create your very own feeds from scratch, but don't want to learn XML code, you can use one of several free programs that are available. I'm using RSS Builder for the Watchdragon's newsfeed.

I found/created a feed! Will you include it on your site?

If it's McCaffrey or fandom-related, I'd be delighted to add it! Please feel free to submit your feed's URL. Be aware that the Watchdragon will scrutinize feeds before and during inclusion on this site to make sure they fit with the theme of the site and don't conflict with the Terms of Use.

Will you change or archive my feed?

No, the Watchdragon will only display feed contents as loaded when someone visits a page, merely adjusting the formatting of the display to make it fit the style of this site. Nothing from your feed is saved on this site. If your site goes down, your feed goes down with it. If you want to update or archive your feed, you'll have to do it yourself. With the exception of the Watchdragon's own newsfeed, no feed items are being stored on the Watchdragon's site. Feeds aggregated with the Feed Digest service may be cached on their server.

My feed used to be on your site and now it's gone. What happened?

Likely some of the feed's content raised a warning flag and led to its removal. It could be that it contained commercial ads, adult content or other unwanted spam. This is a frequent problem on YahooGroups or other mailing lists that allow posts/subscriptions without moderator approval. If the problem has been fixed, feel free to resubmit the feed's URL. Another likely cause for removal would be that the feed didn't show any updates for a long time. This is supposed to be a news site after all, not an archive for past events. Again, if this has changed, please feel free to resubmit.

Stop using my feed!

Making a feed available but not wanting others to use it is sort of like publicly broadcasting your news and expecting others to not tune into your channel. If your feed is used on this site and you don't want it here, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Please let me know and I'll remove it. I included it assuming that you intended for it to be displayed by others.

The best way to prevent others from using your feed is to not make a feed available in the first place. If your feed is associated with a YahooGroup, you can set archives to members only and Yahoo will stop syndicating your group's posts. Similarly, if your blogging service publishes a feed, see if you can turn that feature off or make your blog private.