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#51828
Advanced Import feature added to articles section - for bloggers!
Greg - 11/17/2012 5:10 PM
Category: Web Site Help
Replies: 0

I resurrected an old feature that automatically imports blog articles from other sources. While logged into DiveBuddy, go to the Articles section, then click "Advanced Import" in the Member Control Panel.

If you write a blog that is mostly scuba related, use our Advanced Import feature to have your articles imported to your profile on DiveBuddy. This improves the number of people that read your blog while eliminating the need to duplicate your work. Write your article once on any blogging website (ie: blogger.com, wordpress, etc.), and we’ll import it to DiveBuddy.

We use the RSS or Atom feed of your blog to accomplish this. Most blogging websites provide information on RSS syndication and allow you to control what content is shared through your RSS feed. If you are not familiar with how RSS works, do a quick Google search for "manage RSS syndication on [your blogging website]" and you’re sure to find help.

From the "Advanced Import" page on DiveBuddy, you can choose to turn on Auto Import, provide the URL of your RSS Feed and enter Keywords to help restrict what articles are automatically approved.

If Auto Import is On, we will occasionally attempt to read your RSS feed to check for new articles. Only articles newer than the last update date, and with a unique title will be imported. The first image found in the content of the article will also be imported, unless the image is less than 125px wide.

Keywords are used to limit the articles that are automatically approved and posted for all members to read on DiveBuddy. For example, if you don’t always write about scuba related topics, you should enter scuba terms (ie: dive, fish, shark, scuba, etc.) so only articles with matching keywords in the title will be imported. If a match is not found, the article will be listed in the "Pending Articles" page, which you can access from the "Advanced Import" page. Pending articles require your approval before being displayed on DiveBuddy. We highly encourage every blogger using the advanced import feature to enter scuba related keywords. If too many articles are imported that are not scuba related, you may be suspended from using this feature OR removed from DiveBuddy entirely.

It may take several days before your new articles appear on DiveBuddy. If your RSS Feed is not in a valid format, this feature may not work. All content posted on DiveBuddy will fall under a Creative Commons License. If you have questions, please contact DiveBuddy using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of every page.

Helpful Links:
LiveJournal.com RSS Feeds
Change RSS settings on Blogger.com
Customizing RSS Feeds on WordPress
Information on RSS from Wikipedia