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E-mail is in trouble. The continuing proliferation of spam, viruses, and worms is degrading its ability to reach intended audiences. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is rapidly emerging as an alternative content distribution standard. The time is now to start planning an RSS implementation in your environment.
RSS Defined
An RSS feed is essentially XML data that sits on a server, alongside a parent Web site. It typically tracks the latest changes on a site and makes them available to end users through RSS feeds. End users can use RSS aggregator software to subscribe to these feeds, making it easy for them to automatically receive your latest news, pricing, or product announcements without having to manually visit your Web site.
E-mail: Love & Hate, All at the Same Time
E-mail has traditionally been the vehicle of choice for distributing messages to mass audiences and driving traffic back to the corporate Web site. With upwards of 40 percent of all legitimately distributed mass e-mail now captured by anti-spam filters, however, e-mail is no longer the ultimate cost-effective content distribution tool. E-mail's plight will worsen as improved anti-spam efforts drive increased rejection rates.
Companies that use e-mail distribution to communicate with their customers are starting to consider RSS as an alternative delivery vehicle. Here's why:
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No Spam.
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Greater user control.
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Increased personalization of delivery.
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Better content delivery tools.
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Better aggregation tools.
RSS Advantages
RSS offers a range of advantages to enterprises looking to streamline internal communications. For the internal mass distribution example, it overcomes the traditional hurdles inherent in conventional e-mail infrastructure. Response or click-through rates for RSS are much higher than traditional e-mail: fully 23% of end users who subscribe to RSS feeds will read content from these feeds within 48 hours. |
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Action Plan
Implementing RSS syndication into your existing Web site is more involved than a simple software installation. Follow these steps to initiate the process:
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Plan ahead to document what you hope to get out of an RSS implementation, and what resources it will take to achieve.
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Financial goals. Will you be integrating advertising into your new feeds or is RSS simply a way to drive more traffic to your site?
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Understand your audience.
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Update your current Web strategy. Document how the integration of RSS would change your Web architecture.
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Train your people. RSS is a relatively new technology. Set aside enough time and money to ensure your staff members are trained in both server-side distribution and client-side aggregation processes and tools.
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Educate and market to your end-users. Post comprehensive training documentation and FAQs to your Web site and/or intranet. Schedule quarterly content reviews to ensure your RSS feeds are meeting your end users' needs.
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Forget about using RSS to replace e-mail. E-mail communication is bidirectional, while RSS is only feasible for distribution. Consider RSS as a complementary messaging technology, and not a replacement, for e-mail.
Bottom Line
As e-mail continues its decline as a content distribution medium, RSS has a strong future as a moneymaking addition to the corporate Web presence. Start planning now to ensure you aren't left behind.
If you are thinking about RSS as an addition to your online arsenal but aren't sure where to start, contact us today. We can guide you from the planning stage, all the way through deployment and evalution.
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