What are they, and how can I use them?

An RSS feed (it stands for Really Simple Syndication) is basically a live update from a website.  There are two ways to use RSS feeds. You can supply a feed from your website for anyone who might be interested, and you can subscribe to a feed from websites that interest you.

Websites that publish an RSS feed will show a small icon like this

Well, in theory it gets your content out to more people and more often. Otherwise you depend on people coming back to your website to look for new content. If you have a site with a potentially big audience and lots of new, interesting content it’s a great way to get it out there even further. Continue Reading »

A common question from local clients is, can I get a grant to help with the cost of my website?

In Northern Ireland there are some possibilities, but it’s best to first understand that economic development agencies want to spend taxpayer’s (thats you and me!) money wisely.

Broadly,  if you are simply asking, “can I have some public money to help me set up a website?”, then the answer should be no. However, if you can show a business case or, have a sensible idea for starting a business, then the answer might be yes.  What that means is that your website has to considered within the context of your business. You need to have clear ideas about where your business is going, and how and why the website fits into that strategy.

First, business start-ups. Continue Reading »