| RSS Going Mainstream |
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 published in LED Digest 2254: RSS Going Mainstream From: Steve Pronger Subject: RSS is about to go mainstream In LED Digest 2247 Tom Aman discussed IE7 in relation to RSS: > Maybe, as use of this browser becomes more common, RSS will > become a significant mode of communication, but that remains to > be seen. I've just got around to installing IE7 and I'm wondering how many other LEDers have given it a run? Tom is right, RSS has been implemented well. Visit a site where a feed is available and an icon will indicate the fact. Click the icon and the feed headlines will be displayed, along with a link to subscribe. Feeds can be managed in IE along with traditional bookmarks. All very easy and logical to use. Seems to me that RSS is about to go mainstream. If you're not blogging and adding the auto-discovery tag for your blog feed URL, then you will be missing out on an opportunity to encourage repeat visits by anyone who surfs by your site on IE. And as good as Firefox may be, we all know that means just about everyone. But I think it will still be necessary to educate your visitors, including those who are already on your mailing list, the benefits of subscribing to your feed and how to go about it. IE7 will just make it easier. No more telling your visitors to download an RSS reader or use an online reader - it will all be right there in their browser window. The benefits? To your subscribers; they don't have to give their email address, name or any other personal details. They don't have to confirm their subscription (double opt-in). They will not be prevented from receiving your messages by spam filters. They can stop receiving your messages anytime, permanently, and they don't have to say why. The benefits to you? People who want your message will receive it. No spam filters. No false positives. No ning-nongs who click on a "this is spam" button in Hotmail when you send them something they specifically asked to receive. One other tip on RSS. Burn your feed at FeedBurner.com. There's a whole bunch of useful tools and you can monitor your feed stats. Another significant thing I noticed on IE7 - a Live search box, prominently displayed top right of the browser window. Time to check your rankings on MSN? The search landscape could be about to change. Steve Pronger http://www.stevepronger.com Comments (0)
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