Does anyone spot the irony of Robert Scoble‘s rant on RSS, which is probably the meme of the week so far?
Briefly, in case you missed it, Scoble makes the assertion that if you have a marketing website without RSS then you should be fired. At the end of his post Scoble admits that Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, has just added RSS feeds to its press room. Now if the world’s largest software company has only just added RSS feeds to its newsroom that probably gives you a good idea of the maturity of RSS.
RSS offers a wide range of benefits, which I won’t bore you by going into again (check out the links below). It will ultimately be a tier-one communication channel for every company and individual, but it’s not there yet.
PR and marketing people are beginning to look at the potential of RSS. Technology companies are offering RSS feeds in increasing numbers, but these are still early adopters.
How long before companies outside the early adopters start using RSS? It’s anyone’s guess but it will be a while. All new technologies require push and pull.
So don’t fret that you’ve missed the RSS boat, you haven’t. There’s plenty of time and now is as good a time as any to start evaluating a technology that promises to make communication with your audience more effective.
If you work for a PR firm or a technology company then this is a reminder that you really do need to understand RSS and look into implementing it.
In the meantime let’s add some more reality.
Footnotes:
- Online Journalism Review: RSS Feeds Can Build Web Traffic, but Fence Sitters Note Problems
- RSS 101 – Getting up and running
- Phil Gomes: Using RSS for Corporate Communications
- Dan Gillmor on RSS
- EContent Magazine: Can RSS Relieve Information Overload?
- PC Magazine: RSS Rocks
- CNET: RSS: Why it’s important
- RSS is a tool not a cure
- The Future of PR is not E-mail
- Just in case you think RSS is some new fangled technology, here’s an EWeek case study on how a company was using it internally back in 2003
- And in the style of Tom Foremski: Cape Clear is a model company that welcomes Microsoft’s addition of RSS feeds to their news room. Since we first published our RSS feeds, just over two years ago, the number of subscribers has been growing every week. RSS works.
Murphy's Law 