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rottieI’ve been asked how I made a self-updating blog on my static website before, so I figured I’d make a short tutorial for anyone wanting to make their own!
Blogs like these are possible with RSS, which stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. In layman’s terms, it allows viewers of a website to be notified of updates without needing to subscribe via email. An RSS feed checks for updates from its source and allows these updates to be seen on the webpage.
In this tutorial, I’ll give you a brief on how I use Dreamwidth (a free blog-hosting service in the ilk of Livejournal) to make a blog on your site using RSS feeds.
Why use RSS feeds for blogs, as opposed to just updating the site itself?
You can keep a blog in your site by simply writing it there like you would anything else. However, this gets very tedious very quickly. Your HTML file will bloat in size as you add entries, making it very hard to maintain if you ever want to make changes to your page. (Don’t ask me how I know this.) With RSS feeds though, all you need is a few lines of Javascript code where you want your blog to be! It’s much easier to keep track of in the long run, and any edits you make to your entries will show up on your site within minutes.
Additionally, many RSS readers have built-in accessibility features for people using screenreaders. It’s a great way to make your site friendlier for websurfers of all abilities.
Why use Dreamwidth for blog hosting?
Dreamwidth is open-source and makes it easy to obtain an RSS feed of your blog to plug into your reader of choice. All you need to do is write the entries, and your reader will do the rest of the heavy lifting!
1.) Make a Dreamwidth account (if you haven’t already)
You can do this on their front page by hitting the “Create” button, and then selecting “Create Account”.
2.) Write an entry (or two or three)
This is the fun part!
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Write about a yummy sandwich you had or your favorite obscure band no one but you cares about or just keysmash to your heart’s content.
3.) Grab the RSS feed for your blog
In your browser’s search bar, type “https://typeyouraccountnamehere.dreamwidth.org/data/rss”. You should see a big scary-looking text file devoid of formatting. Copy this link; we’re going to paste it somewhere in a second.
4.) Find an RSS reader
I personally use and recommend rssdog.com, but there are plenty out there. For convenience, I’ll be writing this tutorial under the assumption that you’re using it.
5.) Paste your feed URL where your reader tells you to and customize it from there
You should see a box to paste your feed URL. Once you’ve done that, there are a bunch of toggles to customize how your feed will appear on your site. You don’t need to change much, but I recommend turning on “Decode from UTF8” and selecting “Javascript Mode”.
Once you’re satisfied, click “Make the code” and then “Get the code”. Your Javascript code will be available to copy there.
6.) Go back to your site’s HTML file and paste the code where you want your blog to appear
This is pretty straightforward. It doesn’t really matter where you put it as long as it’s between your <body></body> tags.
7.) Click “Save” and view your webpage
If it worked, you should see a little version of your blog with your entries there. You did it! You’re now all set to blog as freely as you’d like.
Conclusion
I am not an expert by any means, just an overambitious nerd, but I hope this tutorial has helped. It’s also worth mentioning that this is not the only way to implement RSS feeds into your site! I love this tutorial by caffeineandlasers.neocities.org that explains another way to do it in-depth.
Sources
Blogs like these are possible with RSS, which stands for “Really Simple Syndication”. In layman’s terms, it allows viewers of a website to be notified of updates without needing to subscribe via email. An RSS feed checks for updates from its source and allows these updates to be seen on the webpage.
In this tutorial, I’ll give you a brief on how I use Dreamwidth (a free blog-hosting service in the ilk of Livejournal) to make a blog on your site using RSS feeds.
Why use RSS feeds for blogs, as opposed to just updating the site itself?
You can keep a blog in your site by simply writing it there like you would anything else. However, this gets very tedious very quickly. Your HTML file will bloat in size as you add entries, making it very hard to maintain if you ever want to make changes to your page. (Don’t ask me how I know this.) With RSS feeds though, all you need is a few lines of Javascript code where you want your blog to be! It’s much easier to keep track of in the long run, and any edits you make to your entries will show up on your site within minutes.
Additionally, many RSS readers have built-in accessibility features for people using screenreaders. It’s a great way to make your site friendlier for websurfers of all abilities.
Why use Dreamwidth for blog hosting?
Dreamwidth is open-source and makes it easy to obtain an RSS feed of your blog to plug into your reader of choice. All you need to do is write the entries, and your reader will do the rest of the heavy lifting!
1.) Make a Dreamwidth account (if you haven’t already)
You can do this on their front page by hitting the “Create” button, and then selecting “Create Account”.
2.) Write an entry (or two or three)
This is the fun part!
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Write about a yummy sandwich you had or your favorite obscure band no one but you cares about or just keysmash to your heart’s content.
3.) Grab the RSS feed for your blog
In your browser’s search bar, type “https://typeyouraccountnamehere.dreamwidth.org/data/rss”. You should see a big scary-looking text file devoid of formatting. Copy this link; we’re going to paste it somewhere in a second.
4.) Find an RSS reader
I personally use and recommend rssdog.com, but there are plenty out there. For convenience, I’ll be writing this tutorial under the assumption that you’re using it.
5.) Paste your feed URL where your reader tells you to and customize it from there
You should see a box to paste your feed URL. Once you’ve done that, there are a bunch of toggles to customize how your feed will appear on your site. You don’t need to change much, but I recommend turning on “Decode from UTF8” and selecting “Javascript Mode”.
Once you’re satisfied, click “Make the code” and then “Get the code”. Your Javascript code will be available to copy there.
6.) Go back to your site’s HTML file and paste the code where you want your blog to appear
This is pretty straightforward. It doesn’t really matter where you put it as long as it’s between your <body></body> tags.
7.) Click “Save” and view your webpage
If it worked, you should see a little version of your blog with your entries there. You did it! You’re now all set to blog as freely as you’d like.
Conclusion
I am not an expert by any means, just an overambitious nerd, but I hope this tutorial has helped. It’s also worth mentioning that this is not the only way to implement RSS feeds into your site! I love this tutorial by caffeineandlasers.neocities.org that explains another way to do it in-depth.
Sources
- Nps.gov, 2025, www.nps.gov/feeds/rss-help.htm.
- My beautiful sexy mind
