New RSS 2.0 standards - new RSS validation, how to upgrade your valid RSS feed to new RSS version 2.0

New specifications to RSS 2.0 as of October 15 2007 - some minor changes needed to re-validate your RSS feed again

To understand necessary modifications to your already existing ( previously ) valid RSS feed, you may refer to the current RSS 2.0 Specification or see the description of the RSS 2.0 elements of a valid RSS 2.0 feed.

Changes from your previous to the current RSS 2.0 - revision 2.0.10

Assuming you had a valid RSS feed before and now suddenly you get error about eMail address or missing atom link, here below the few changes you have to make - most likely in your RSS feed template. No need to wait for an official SW upgrade or your publishing tools, the changes are easy and done in a few minutes. then revalidate to get a RSS feed free of errors and warnings.

Some of you may have escaped the eMail error by simply removing your "webmaster" and "managingEditor" elements, since both are optional elements of a RSS feed. However keep in mind that in modern world of increasing cyber crime it is a sign and proof of accepting responsibility when you sign ( email address ) your feed with your true name and full valid eMail address. A serious publication of any kind always contains a full editorial - in RSS publishing the URL plus all eMail and name elements are a subtitute and may be considered a firm part of every honest and serious RSS publisher!

The first change to make is to replace your previous namespace specification to:

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">

The 2 additional remaining changes are to add the name in (parenthesis) after the full valid eMail addresses of your feed:

Below changes or additions are all made within the "channel" element of each feed

In my case this would look like:

<managingEditor>hans@kriyayoga.com (hans neukomm)</managingEditor>
<webMaster>hans@kriyayoga.com (hans neukomm)</webMaster>

The needed atom link looks like below - the URL needs to be replaced by your correct URL for each feed. Hence this atom link element various for every RSS feed you publish!

<atom:link href="http://www.kriyayoga.com/love_blog/modules/mod_rss/rss.php/2.0" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />

God bless

hans