While many people are now in the habit of validating their HTML, and some also validate their CSS, but a crucial step that many designers miss is to validate their RSS feed, and to do so regularly. RSS is an XML language, and because it often gets modified by people who might not have the best skills in writing well-formed HTML (even inside a blog editor) you can end up with a feed that isn't working even though it was when you first started it. I have found sites that I run that have the RSS built automatically get errors creeping in. And all of the sites where I manage an RSS file manually get errors periodically, and I try to be very careful with them. By validating your feed every so often, you ensure that it is working when you need it.

• RSS Validator: W3C Feed Validation Service
• Web Site Validation
• How to Create XML for an RSS Feed
• Anatomy of an RSS File
• RSS Glossary
• See all the Software Picks
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Web Design Software Pick of the Week: W3C Feed Validation Service originally appeared on About.com Web Design / HTML on Sunday, January 30th, 2011 at 17:42:50.

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