XML and RSS Feeds. Are they Spam?

[virajw]

The latest trick among webmasters is seems is to load hundreds of RSS XML feeds into dynamically generated pages (mostly in PHP) to be search engine friendly. I mean isn't this spam? How much will Google and Yahoo tolerate hundreds and hundreds of RSS pages on a website without taking action? The logic behind this is " fresh content " but what purpose does it serve when thousand-and-one websites crank out the identical text blocks?

Just for the heck of it I tried out one such script -TrafficHurricane on a private server. The results were astonishing but it took me just five minutes to realize its consequences. Using scripts such as TrafficHurricane can get your site banned before you say Jack Robinson. But having 2 or 3 pages of RSS feeds from respectable sources is quite OK I guess especially for informative purposes. Even that too could be shielded from the search engines by using a DHTML link (javascript) that SE don't follow

Rosalind - I'd like your opinion on RSS spam. May be you have a different perspective on this.

Viraj

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hey Viraj,

I really need to click on that 'view unanswered posts' link more often! Sorry for the delayed response.

I agree with you 100%.

Although I know it's tempting to automate the heck out of everything and generate tons of content for the sake of getting noticed, but what's the point of getting noticed if they (Google) rejects or delists your site?

Even if you're using OP's (other people's) articles, upload them to your site in very small batches.

My rule (ever being refined due to new technology) is basically this:

Don't risk your business. Build your sites at a human pace.

Cheers,
Rosalind... one post at a time.

[Lynn Terry]