Should I or shouldn’t I RSS? There seems to be a lot of asking this week. What got me started this time was the post on Tom Peters’ new blog. Ron Crossland asks “Will RSS really provide the average consumer BETTER content or simply more CONTENT?”
It’s not just Tom site’s questioning things. 37 Signals, Matt Mulenweg and the Online Journalism Review have all had something to say about whether to add RSS.
37 Signals laments that they won’t be able to control the design. Without a feed, I will never come to your site.
Ron, it is all about more content and more conversations and the ability to listen to more voices. Maybe RSS will change the shape of the power curve for bloggers.
For me, RSS is about the process, not the product.
I understand 37 Signals lament, but the reality is that as much as I might absolutely love a site and have the best intentions of returning again… the reality for me (can’t speak for anyone else) is I will most likely never visit again until I really, really need to. I’m one of those out-of-sight, out-of-mind people. And for people like me, your best shot is to include an RSS feed so I can be notified of updates. And I do often click over from my RSS aggregator to the site. It’s not necessarily either/or but just adding an additional option for visitors (read: customers) whom prefer that method of communication.
I feel bad. I forget to read one of my closest friend’s web site since he has no RSS feed. I’ve subscribed to over 80 sites that I can scan through in little time.. yet I forget about sites that aren’t in my newsreader.