You see them on pretty much every site now, and it’s something that you should be actively participating in.
RSS is a format for delivering regularly updated web content. It allows your readers to easily stay informed about your new articles. Look into Google FeedBurner for an easy way to participate in RSS.
Social buttons, such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. gives your readers a way to stay in contact with you on a more personable level. If you aren’t currently active in an online social community, it’s not too late. At the minimum, set yourself up a Twitter account and start sending out your content and the content of others that may appeal to your readers. Use a URL shortening service such as bit.ly to keep your links nice and trim.
Make an effort to let these buttons stand out. By building up a large subscription base through RSS or having tons of followers/friends on Twitter or Facebook, you can help to grow your site tremendously.
You’ll typically find these buttons in the upper right-hand corner of a website and they are likely to appear again in the footer. This will be different depending on the design of your site of course. Here’s a look at Social Media Integration: Examples And Tips to give you an idea of some placement options for these buttons.