| edgeprod |
05-01-2006 12:19 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by darksoul
I haven't used it but theres feedswordpress which is free and open source.
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feedwordpress is pretty cool, actually. I ran it for a while before deciding that I needed to actually treat my blogs like a business rather than a hobby, and switched.
Although pulling in feeds is such a SMALL part of what AutoBlogger Pro does, you can certainly do that with feedwordpress, or with basic WordPress, if you so desired.
I hope you don't think that it replicates all of the functionality of ABP, though, because it doesn't. In another thread, I wrote up the things I use ABP for. I'll copy it here:
Quote:
I do the following with AutoBlogger Pro:
* Syndicate RSS and Atom feeds that provide keyword-appropriate content to my monthly bookmarkers and search engine visitors. The bookmarkers choose my sites because they offer a good combination of syndication, original content, and presentation.
* Manage my feeds and original content based on keyword mapping. This feature enables me to "test" a feed for relevance before allowing it to automatically appear on my pages. I define "good" and "bad" keywords, and an overall score determines if the content or feed makes the cut.
* Post original content on a schedule, pulling the files from a directory on my server (which I use custom modules to categorize and maintain based on the searches of my users). This schedule can be manipulated to make up for temporary quality fluctuations with my feeds or a lack of good feeds in a specific topic area.
* Relink words or phrases inside of the feeds or articles to point to my sponsors -- it's amazing how people will click on links that are relevant to what they are searching for. When they aren't clicking on the AdSense or AdBrite links around my site, they're clicking Relinked keywords. This feature pulls keywords from a predefined list that I can change at any time, and "relinks" them to a URL of my choosing.
* Rewrite specific keywords to improve keyword density. By allowing the "Rewriter" system to change my feeds or custom content based on a set of predefined rules, I can ensure that my keyword density is appropriate for the phrases I'm targeting. Google loves it, and I get a more relevant page.
* Build a Sitemap based on my recent changes automatically, every time the site updates, and submit this to Google.
* Store images locally, so there is no need for hotlinking. This saves me a lot of time that would otherwise be spent manually downloading and editing images. Of course, I can turn this off selectively if the feeds I'm downloading aren't reusing images that are publically licensed, so I'm not stealing anyone's content.
* Syndicate into a number of categories, and customize the look and feel of my presentation based on results or anticipated searches.
* Define a custom header and footer for not only the site, but also for each article, allowing me to choose between a static offer between each article, or with the help of a rotation script, a custom ad or link.
* Customize my source attributions, to make sure I'm linking feed partners with the best SEO-rich links, so we're both gaining from the syndication of my sites. Some people will never understand the value of a highly relevant link from a high PR site, but that is usually their ignorance, and eventually, their loss.
* Syndicate posts in "stealth mode," allowing search engines to enjoy the keywords and users to be filtered back to higher-grossing areas of the blog.
* Automatically define my site's META tags, freeing me up to focus on something more important: launching the next batch of sites.
* Having complete control over my site's look and feel, I can define custom areas for my sponsors and keyword ads (such as AdSense, AdBrite, and many adult sponsors), not just the boring "top of the page" banners.
* VERY quickly deploy additional sites that don't simply replicate the content from my other blogs, as some other products force you to do. I simply install AutoBlogger Pro in a new directory, or on a new domain, and in under five minutes, I'm tweaking the settings of my new blog. In about an hour, I've got another site up and running itself, and I move on to the next project! I'd hate to be in the shoes of someone who is trying to do that with a product that doesn't have such an easy and integrated installation.
* With the features such as Blog Network management (think PUSH, not pull), Post auto-generation, and much more coming in version 2.5, I can't wait to see how much more I can tweak my existing blogs for enhanced profitability.
There's so many features I use in AutoBlogger Pro, but there are also quite a few I haven't gotten around to learning!
I'm sure, of course, that many people just think AutoBlogger Pro is a tool to pull in RSS feeds, but I'd tell those users they'd be MUCH better off using an inferior product, or downloading feedwordpress for FREE, because feed syndication is such a SMALL part of what AutoBlogger Pro actually does.
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I can see how people would think that WordPress does this (which it doesn't) or that feedwordpress does this (which it doesn't) or that some other free product does this (I haven't heard of one). It really comes down to: are you doing this as a business, or as a hobby?
If it's a business, head over to RSS2Blog and purchase one of their modules (make sure you get all of the upgrades and add-ons), or head over to ABP and purchase a license from them. If you're really cheap-ass, try to cobble it all together yourself, or hobble along on something that's less capable. It's really up to you.
ICQ me if you need help with any of this, I'm always willing to lend a hand. |
