By S. Housley
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is
a new way to broadcast corporate news and structured
information. RSS offers a quick, easy corporate communication
channel. The RSS contents are published as a feed
and the feed's content keep customers, partners and
journalists abreast of corporate news and information.
The RSS feeds are read using a tool referred to as
a news aggregator, or an RSS reader. The aggregator
periodically checks to see if the RSS feed has been
updated. As the feed is updated, new information will
automatically appear in the RSS reader.
While RSS was at one point only considered
to be a means to deliver news headlines, RSS has quickly
become a powerful medium to disseminate all kinds
of information. As traditional marketers are attempting
to rein in content delivery, measuring e-mail open
rates, click-throughs and conversions, Internet users
are fighting to gain control over the content they
receive. Savvy marketers and business owners are using
RSS as a way to improve corporate communication and
increase their external exposure and brand appeal.
What is the enclosure tag?
RSS 2.0 is quickly becoming the definitive RSS standard,
all because of its support for the enclosure tag.
The enclosure tag is an optional field in the RSS
2.0 specification that allows the feed publisher to
include a link to a file. The file can be just about
anything. Businesses have seized the opportunity,
including tutorials, streaming audio lectures, PDF
proposals, Power Pointâ"¢ presentations, podcasts
of sales meetings, and advertising portfolios among
other traditional uses for RSS.
Many businesses have yet to realize
the potential hidden in the enclosure field. The implications
and power of how RSS can be used is really awe-inspiring.
Consider the following business uses for RSS:
1. PDF Documents - Consider
broadcasting meeting agenda notes or documentation
as a PDF included with a feed, allowing interested
individuals to access information without having to
deal with cumbersome e-mail attachments.
2. PPT Presentations -
Presentations can easily be distributed in a feed
enclosure. The added benefit is that presenters using
Power Pointâ"¢ will not have to lug their notebook
to a meeting to present - they can manage the presentation
from an iPod or similar handheld that reads RSS feeds.
3. Video - Video or streaming
video are both possible via the enclosure field. Have
lectures or even political debates come to life with
the added video component.
4. Audio - Audio content
does not mean that feeds are limited to your favorite
songs. Podcasting is the coined term for audio content
contained in a feed and can include language instruction,
talk shows or editorials.
5. Images - Imagine realtors
using the enclosure field to display photos of homes
to interested buyers. Now they can carry a light-weight
catalog with them to show potential buyers at a moment's
notice.
6. Downloads - Consider
an information technology department in a large corporation
conducting proprietary software updates, including
executables or zip files in the enclosure field which
allow users to update the software at a convenient
time.
Feedreaders are playing catch- up
RSS news aggregators were initially designed to receive
text-based content. As users find outside-the-box
uses for RSS, developers of RSS readers are struggling
to release new versions that support the enclosures
businesses are eager to use.
FeedDemon, a popular RSS reader, has
recently added support for every type of enclosure
in their latest release. They have created a safe
list that can be customized to include specific types
of file types like PDFs. This will automate downloads
of files that are deemed "safe". This was clearly
designed with security in mind, to prevent automatic
downloading of executables.
Businesses are revolutionizing RSS as
a communication medium. While some traditional businesses
are struggling to include monthly newsletter summaries
in an RSS feed and reap the benefits of RSS, other
innovative businesses are adopting incredibly creative
uses for both internal and external corporate communications.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing
for NotePage http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
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