Hi Zack,
Sorry that I'm late to the conversation, but I've read through all of the threads leading up to Ed's last one. Ed is right on the money on how to install WordPress plugins, but if you need more detailed instruction, you can read the entire set of instructions at the
WordPress Codex: Plugin Installation page.
In order to install a plugin, you need and must have a basic understanding of how to use an FTP client. If you're on Windows,
FileZilla is a very good one.
Now, I'd like to address your RSS syndication issues.
Please be careful because you may be infringing on another person's copyright. By syndicating someone else's blog feed for your own website/personal gain, without their permission first, you are effectively stealing from them and it could land you in hot water. There has been much discussion and debate about it, but it always comes back down to copyright.
Here are some tips to help you stay out of the hot water, but please note that I am not a lawyer (nor do I play one on T.V.):
- Check the blog's copyright policy before syndicating their feed. (It's usually down at the bottom of the website.) If it says all rights reserved or copyright, don't use the feed.
- If you know the blogger, and they have a copyright, approach the blogger, tell her about your project and ask politely if you may use her feed.
- Only use excerpts. Some bloggers may provide full feeds, and you may be tempted to syndicate the entire post -- avoid that. It took them time to write that post, respect that and send some traffic their way.
- Provide valid and working contact details, so if a blogger who's feed you're using contacts you, you can pull the feed down right away and remove the content. In some cases, if the blogger cannot get ahold of you, she will get ahold of your webhost and your entire site may come down. (If it's Blogger, then Google will just delete the blog.)
- Be fair and courteous, and always remember that when you use someone else's blog feed, they are helping you, not the other way around.
So many sales letters promise you the sun, moon, and stars, but fail to tell you
there are very real consequences to their techniques.
Linda has set up her Affiliate Marketing Buzz blog in a great way -- follow her example. People know that it aggregates content from various sources, she has contact details up, and she keeps the blog looking good and keeps the advertising low key and to a minimum.
As for the tools that can accomplish what RSS2B does, first you must consider that RSS2B has a number of features. If it's simple RSS syndication you want, Linda and Ed has already provided some excellent plugins. There really isn't a free tool for Blogger, so you may end up needing to fork over some cash if you really wish to have the content updated with RSS.
Hope I've helped.
~ Teli