Your own news channel allows you to broadcast your content to the Web with one text file. The protocol to accomplish this is called RSS. This stands for Really Simple Syndication (or Rich Site Summary, depending on who you talk to). Weblogs are an example of content commonly available in RSS.

Once created, your RSS content file can be read by news aggregator programs. By registering with aggregator sites, your feed is indexed and made available for sites interested in receiving your feed. You can see my own news feed in action at NetBizHelpers.com.

Here are some excellent sites with articles on setting up and registering your news channel:

Mark Nottingham's RSS Tutorial

http://www.mnot.net/rss/tutorial/

Technology at Harvard Law

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

O'Reilly XML.com

http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/dive-into-xml.html

3. Submit To Article Directories and Announcement Lists

Many publishers subscribe to announcement lists and browse article directories for content. High-quality articles are regularly picked up from these sources. It's not uncommon for a good article to be published in several ezines with combined readerships in the tens of thousands.

Here is a listing of popular spots to submit your articles online:

http://www.homebiztools.com/article-dir.htm

To begin posting your articles on announcement lists:

http://www.homebiztools.com/article-lists.htm

There you have it! Three great ways to market your articles and give publishers what they need, while you enjoy no-cost advertising.

Brett Krkosska is a freelance writer and syndicated columnist. He is the owner and founder of http://www.HomeBizTools.com. an idea center for small/home-based business owners.