These companies should fire their Webmasters

Oh Scoble, you never miss an opportunity to help Dave Winer.

Do these companies think that I will visit their website once a week just to see what's changed?

Knox: I sure ain't visiting them again.

Mobile Phone Fan: I'd love to hear your theory about how this post helps Dave Winer.

I notice that Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) doesn't have an RSS feed either. Have they fired their webmaster?

I believe RSS is useful, but it is not for everyone. What exactly would these companies have in their feeds? Press releases? How often do you think the information on their pages change?

And honestly, can you give any examples of how having an RSS feed has led to increased sales (except for blog-related companies)? A website is a marketing presence - why would you do something if it did not result in increased sales at some point?

If a website is effective (not that I'm sure they really are), then why would you fire the person who maintains it.

Seth Godin recently noted that the percentage of people reading his RSS feed was "scary" low, so perhaps and RSS feed is not yet critical for every company.

By the way, you've just given those companies a bigger boost for NOT having an RSS feed than most people could ever give them for having one.

Larry: oh, there you go, trotting out the ROI arguments again. Can they demonstrate that speaking to 100 people at a conference will increase sales? Oh, really? Have you seen my traffic lately here? I will be less likely to talk about sites I can't subscribe to.

What's the ROI of doing a press tour? Of handing out swag at conferences?

If Microsoft listened to me then Google wouldn't be at $430. :-)

What would these companies have in their feeds? Let's turn it around. Are they EVER going to release new information about their companies? Then they need an RSS feed. Why would they expect me to go back to their sites to see if anything new happened. And, if they aren't going to release new product why are they asking for VC money? Hmmm.

RSS is usefull for blogs and other websites that update frequently. Most startup companies are too busy making things to spend time and capital on daily press releases or company blogs.

Scoble at 11.58:

What’s getting removed?

Any feed that hasn’t published anything for the past month.
Any feed that hasn’t written about tech in the past month.

Scoble at 9.10:

Are they EVER going to release new information about their companies? Then they need an RSS feed. Why would they expect me to go back to their sites to see if anything new happened.

Hmm.

I think MS should have an RSS framework for helping devs create RSS feeds (unless there already is one and I just don't know about it). We have Atlas for AJAX development, why not a framework for web feed development? Then we'll have enough tools to enter into the Web 2.0 realm.

Devs will only be lazy if they don't move to Web 2.0. :-)

Oh brother, the arrogance and hubris is amazing (not unexpected however). Bloggers demand the world come to them in their formats, like crybaby's babies being spoon-fed. Judge companies by their PRODUCTS and SERVICE not some stupid de-evolutionary mark-up syndicational format. Pluuueeze.

And even so, if you want people to change, it's better to evangelize than smash-head threaten, makes you looks lynch mob. Not every tool is a nail you know.

You know, it doesn't matter what these companies ARE doing, if we don't know about it, it really doesn't matter.

Here's the question though. Why WOULDN'T you offer an RSS feed? I can't figure that one out...

It helps him by spreading RSS propaganda.

So I do think that RSS is useful, and why wouldn't you offer one indeed, but I'm just not clear on what an average company, that releases software once every 6 months, and maybe a patch every month or so for a startup, would use it for.

A blog would produce a feed just fine. But what would you use to produce a feed or items on the website? Are there tools to create feeds from website links?

As for your comments Robert:
"What’s the ROI of doing a press tour? Of handing out swag at conferences?"

Somebody believes that there is value to doing those things - name recognition perhaps - otherwise they wouldn't do them. As a Director of Marketing, I was responsible for justifying the shows we attended and the events we spoke at, and we pruned them if there was no clear return.

Robert, out of curiosity, what percentage of your readers read your RSS feed? I know I do.

Larry: I don't know, to tell you the truth. I don't have good stats. I do know that on NewsGator there were 15,000 subscribers to my old feed and Bloglines had 9,000.

For all the hype, Pew Internet & American Life Project report still shows that only 9% of Americans online even have a remotely vauge idea of what RSS feeds actually are, even less how to use them. It will change, it will happen when you get some marketshare and decent End User tools.

This is a small small minority, crying wolf and barking at the moon, that their needs aren't being met. Buncha spoiled brat geeks trying to shove their script-fliddings down everyones throats. Pointcast, tho they had typical dot.com management, was light years ahead of where we are today. Geeks made push a dirty word, but End Users like push.

And syndication is not all just RSS, as such things as AvantGo and NewsRaider.com work far far better for my needs.

You love the fact that Google's stock price is heading up up up! ;)

Quick question: do you own any Google shares?

you mean Under the Radar, not under the wire. :)

no wonder this post didnt come up when i was looking for mentions of Under the Radar conference...hee

zimbra has blogs - pointed to on the about section. seems a bit harsh to say fire them for not using RSS.

bear in mind that just having RSS for press releases makes life crap for the rest of us. Dont you hate it when a tag picks up a press release? at least with zimbra blogs i know they are using blogs to communicate real issues.

and how the shit did you miss the sxip feeds?
http://www.sxip.com/ lower left hand side
http://www.sxip.com/index.xml

what is your problem scoble? you really went off half cocked here. your wrong thinking has been picked up on other blogs. i love what you do Scoble but maybe you wanted to check Cori's facts or something?

are you conflating blogs and RSS? What are you on about? wasting people's time evidently. I dont mind helping with your factchecking - post early post often.

but as i say - the fact i came to this from another blogger blogging your claim as gospel. now that ain't necessarily right scoble. you going to formally apologise to sxip and zimbra? i think they probably deserve it.

sorry Robert, so much for my rebuttal. your post is pointing to the exceptions. doh. i am the half cocked one. formally apologise for pointing out they are the good guys. man it must be time to go home to go and see my baby or something... too much coffee today.

have a good day.

beautiful online information center. greatest work... thanks