Using RSS 'feeds' to be notified about new information on blogs and websites

Many members subscribe to this blog using email and I will therefore try to explain how you can use RSS 'feeds' as an alternative to email notifications.

RSS is a transformation technology that delivers a list of new or updated content to recipients, through a variety of channels (for example to computers, portable digital assistants, web-capable mobile phones, etc.).  Note that no attempt is made to send substantial content – only the fact that it is available, in the hope and expectation that many recipients will then visit your web site to see the full content (and while there, perhaps buy something).  Not surprisingly, news items, sports results and financial market updates are popular RSS ‘feeds’ which attract recipient’s interest.  Many organisations, large and small, are implementing RSS feeds from their content – well known examples include the BBC, CNN, and NASA to name but three. You need a reader that supports RSS feeds to subscribe to information and I have in this previous post described how you can set this up from this blog. Microsoft Explorer 7 now supports RSS feeds, and you access this via your Favorites Center.

The advantage of the RSS approach for content providers is that users are reminded to visit a site quite often, and are not relying on users to remember to visit your site occasionally, to “see what’s new”.  Their interest is (hopefully) aroused by the RSS information which is being frequently pushed to them.

Comments

[Jesse Wilkins]

I agree that this is a valuable tool to "push" information out to the users, but you are shortsighted in your assertion that "no attempt is made to send out substantial content". Many organizations are using RSS internally to stem the flood of email, replacing status reports and notifications of updates with RSS streams.

The Jan 16 edition of eWeek (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2084376,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594)
has a story that identifies other current and potential uses for RSS, including:
- technology/competitive watch function
- Salesforce.com sends out information about new leads and contacts to salespeople via RSS
- a supply chain management application could send alerts about product availability to a sales force management application
- Updates to project schedules and deliverables

In short, any content that is updated regularly is a good candidate for RSS.