Future of RSS is Not Blogs
Blogs vaulted RSS into the limelight
but are unlikely to be the force that sustains
RSS as a communication medium. The biggest opportunities
for RSS are not in the blogosphere but as a corporate
communication channel.
Even now, businesses that were initially
reluctantly evaluating RSS are beginning to realize
the power and benefit of the RSS information avenue.
The inherent capacity for consumers to select
the content they wish to receive will be the driving
mechanism for keeping advertisements to a minimum
and content quality consistent.
Like the Internet when it first
started, blogs were emboldened by the “cool factor”.
As the novelty of being new and cool wears off,
Internet webmasters and bloggers alike are realizing
that maintaining a website or blog is time-consuming.
“Coolness” often wears off if a channel is not
monetized. With the ease of blogging and the array
of blogs available, only a handful will be able
to sustain fresh, constant, unique content and
generate any sort of reasonable or significant
revenue. As a result, blogs as we know them today
will fade into the background, with many blogs
being abandoned.
RSS, being a tool that saves Internet
surfers time and allows webmasters to re-purpose
and re-package existing and new content will,
in my opinion, continue to thrive. A business
effectively using RSS can bring new site visitors,
increase search engine positioning, and generate
product interest. The flexibility of RSS as a
communication medium and the expansion capabilities
of the enclosure tag will allow RSS to flourish
as an online marketing tool. Each day businesses
are adopting new uses for RSS, and users are becoming
accustomed to skimming content that *they* choose
in a single centralized location.
As businesses adopt RSS and consumers
experiment with feeds, the popularity of RSS will
grow. Ultimately, consumers are the driving force
behind technology. The convenience of RSS and
increased popularity will set a precedent for
consumer expectations. Businesses using RSS as
a communication vehicle are able to create keyword-rich,
themed content, establishing trust, reputation,
and ongoing communication with current and prospective
customers.
The big consumer benefit to RSS
is that consumers opt-in to content of interest,
totally controlling the flow of information they
receive. If the quality of the content in the
feed declines, users simply remove the feed from
their RSS reader and they will not receive any
additional updates from that source. The RSS reader
acts as an aggregator, allowing users to view
and scan multiple content streams in a timely
fashion.
Consumer expectation will drive
businesses that are slow to adopt. Ultimately,
RSS will be a standard, like email addresses and
websites are now a “must” for businesses. RSS
feeds will join their ranks.
Unlike blogs, businesses can easily
justify RSS feeds, as they will be increasing
customer and corporate communication. RSS will
create new revenue channels. RSS has the potential
to help companies develop strong relationships
with consumers and create brand loyalty. RSS Feeds
will draw existing customers and prospective clients,
translating to a new or renewed income stream.
Businesses using RSS feeds as a communication
medium to notify interested customers of specials,
discounts, product announcements, technical support
tips, news and industry studies will ultimately
sustain RSS as a viable and valued communication
medium.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS
feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages
marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
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