The Blog on Branding

RSS Feeds: Reliable Source Sorter or Really Sorta Stupid?

Who doesn’t love getting comments on their work? Whether it be on a blog, Facebook or MySpace, it’s a good feeling to know that someone out there is not only reading what you’ve done, but feeling good enough about it to take the time to make a comment.

The first experience I had with this was in college when I received a comment on our newspaper’s website. On one of the stories, someone complimented my writing and said he was adding the site to his Google Reader. Initially I took the compliment and basked in that glory, but then I realized that I had no idea what the second part of his comment meant. What on Earth is Google Reader?

“It feels great when people comment on your writing…”



Through research I discovered that it has to do with RSS feeds on website. So that took me to the next question: What is RSS? I guess we should tackle that one first.

Read Some Stuff about RSS:

• What is RSS?
• Google and the Others: Readers and Their Possible Downfalls
• Death Due to Social Media?
• What about Traditional Methods?

What is RSS?

RSS most commonly stands for Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication. Whichever you prefer, it comes down to this: it’s a way to deliver constantly changing Web content. Ever notice that little icon at the top of your toolbar or site that frequently turns orange? That indicator tells Web users that the site has an RSS feed. That means that with the help of a program like Google Reader or Bloglines, surfers can get their most important information in one place. Instead of visiting every page separately, one can see the latest updates on one page.

“It feels great when people comment on your writing…”

Google and the Others: Readers and Their Possible Downfalls

RSS readers gather the latest updates on a personalized list of sites to allow users to see it all from one dedicated program, site or in their e-mail. The top readers display all of the information in an easy-to-use format that eliminates the daily task of searching through dozens of favorite Web sites.

It all seems great, right? Another piece of technology took the work out of it for us. But some disagree.

What happens when RSS readers become just another chore in our day? Tasks like checking e-mail have become just as important in our daily routines as brushing our teeth and sorting through bills. These can become monotonous and almost dreadful, especially if there’s things we aren’t all that interested in. As Farhad Manjoo blogged, his reader became so cluttered with posts he really didn’t care about, reading the feeds became just another task for the day. He was repulsed to think of organizing it.

But that’s just what he had to do: organize. He made folders for feeds to read first thing, ones for later in the day and so on. There are many filing systems Web users can make, but they need to remember not to subscribe to feeds just because they like one post. Read others and be sure that it’s something you want to be clued in on everyday. As Jemima Kiss explains, “You’re either a ‘dip in for a few stories’ kind of RSS user or an ‘obsessively have to make sure I’ve seen every headline’ RSS user,” and you have to choose.

“What happens when RSS readers become another chore in our day?”

Death Due to Social Media?

At one point, RSS feeds were on top of the Internet world. But now, debate is raging as to the future of this technology.

One of the major reasons for the possible decline is social media, i.e. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Twitter especially has delivered users an even easier way to get news. By “following” users like CNN and the New York Times, Tweeters are able to get real-time access to headlines and breaking news. RSS feeds, on the other hand, can take hours to update. Add in constant updates from Miley Cyrus and Perez Hilton and you’ve got yourself a real competitor to RSS.

Facebook news feeds and the development of RSS feed applications have allowed for some combination of the two powers. A new application on the social networking site allows users to send their wall feed to their RSS reader. This could allow users to get a streamlined view of their Facebook account and use their RSS reader at the same time.

“At one point, RSS feeds were on top of the Internet world…”

What about Traditional Methods?

“Newspapers are dead” is one phrase I’ve heard much too often as a journalism major. But the print media is on a decline and most blame technology for this trend.

RSS feeds are just one part of newspapers’ problems. With the ability to get all of the top stories from one site, users can see many papers’ headlines easily and for free. Since users don’t even have to necessarily visit the publication’s Web site, it all seems to be going downhill in the print world.

So now it’s up to the papers to either find a way to sync with the technology or change their own format to better appeal to readers.

Inbound link building involves being interactive on many different levels. The more levels you participate in, the better your chances for more inbound links, leading to a higher PR. Be active, be patient, and engage, engage, engage.

Stephanie Desmond Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.