RSS vs. Autoresponders

Authored By Richard F. Hill

While RSS (Really Simple Syndication) has been around for a number of years, it is only in the last year or so that it has gotten to be considered a mainstream tool. This is almost entirely due to the overnight explosion of Blogs (Web Logs) in which everything from someone's last sexual encounter to the dogfight between Democrats and Republicans in Congress is discussed in detail.

Blogs have brought RSS to the spotlight and some "gurus" would have you believe that it is the overnight replacement for email.

We are all aware of the difficulty in getting email through to our customers or prospects these days. With filters at almost every level of email processing, some say that as little as 34% of email never makes it to the intended recipient.

The truth is that no one really knows what that number is. No one. But to say that RSS is the instant replacement for email, and specifically for autoresponder email, is just not true.

The reasons for this are that, as of now, you need to download software to get RSS feeds or sign up through an online service to have it provided to you. Then, once the method of receiving the content is established, you must select specific feeds that you want to receive. And therein lies the problem, my friend.

Many folks are afraid of downloading and installing any kind of software. And many think that signing up for an online feed aggregator will subject them to the same flow of trash they get each day in their email.

That is misguided, of course, but who ever said that human beings were always logical? Remember that guy/gal talking about last night's date? Yeh, logical and smart, too!

Autoresponders remain the only way that online marketers can get their message out in volume and with speed. Everyone has email. Some have RSS. For now, at least, the message still goes by email, though it often also goes by RSS as well.

Another problem is that for someone to market or sell by RSS, they must first create the feeds and then get them posted. A newbie in MLM or in an affiliate program is just not going to go that route. It is too overwhelming, or at least it seems so.

RSS also does not tell you when someone reads your message, as do some of the major autoresponder services. RSS does not tell you how large your audience is. Email messages are easier to prepare than good RSS feeds, and people are lazy, always looking for the fast and easy way out.

Very soon now, Microsoft will provide RSS through Internet Explorer 7. The game will change when that happens, but the basic problem still remains, and that is one of control, even if it is only partial control.

Whatever occurs, the game will continue and the Internet will morph to accomodate it. Isn't life fun?

To learn more about autoresponders and how to profitably use them, download the free eBook, "Autoresponder Cash Flow NOW!" from www.US-Email-Service.com

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