Keeping it simple!
I’m making some changes around here at the Financial Aid Podcast. One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is that I actively encourage you to now get the show every day by email. After doing some thinking about RSS and email, I’ve decided to promote email as the way to get the show every day for a couple of reasons.
First, email is EASY. Just about everyone gets email. Folks who are new to computers and the Internet intuitively grasp email. Folks new to podcasting don’t need more technical hurdles to listening to podcasts - and email fits the bill nicely. You’ll receive an email with new shows every day that I publish a show.
Second, email is easy to share. One click on the Forward button and you’re sending it to whoever you want, however you want, and you don’t have to worry about giving your friends’ email addresses to a third party. For those of you using feeds and feed readers, there’s no real easy way to share RSS feeds. OPML was supposed to be that, but how many people can easily share OPML files? Even in feed readers like Google Reader, in order to share an item you… email it.
For all of its flaws and issues with deliverability, etc. email is still one of the best ways to stay in touch. If you’d like to get the Financial Aid Podcast via email every day, just sign up here:
Your personal information will not be sold, shared, or distributed:
Good move Chris, totally agree with that.
Naturally some folks use Feedburner for their rss, that has an option for email distribution too, again making it simple.
New show, new blog, new forum, new whatever, email… job done.
Also people are lazy, (I am) can’t be arsed to always check rss feeds, whereas an email reminder, I’m there.
Chris
September 21st, 2007 | #
I don’t think it is either/or - I think it’s both — as you’ve done on your side bar
BTW, are you using feedburner for the email delivery or something else?
September 21st, 2007 | #
meh, email was hard once too. NOW everyone does it. I say promote both equally, because eventually, even our grandmas will be using Google Reader, and wondering why you are so stuck on old school email. Hey, I’ve got my mom using Juice to download podcasts :-) Now that’s progress.
I would also think you demographic is all over RSS.
September 21st, 2007 | #
It’s not the *best* way (for things like blogs/podcasts, imo), but I certainly agree that unless your users are strictly geek, ya gotta offer subscribe-via-email boxes. I’ve twiddled thumbs waiting for RSS numbers to go up long enough; I hadn’t implemented this feature anywhere to date as I was counseled that it was a “too much choice” type of feature that wouldn’t help anyone, but I’m puttin’ it in now.
September 21st, 2007 | #
I like the email idea, and lots of people simply listen on the web. I myself graze that way, I subscribe to only a handful of podcasts via iTunes, however, until iTunes learns to reads mail and move the podcast from email to your iPod automatically, RSS will still makes sense :-) the days of single platform distribution is long gone.
September 21st, 2007 | #
I saw your tweet this morning and it gave me this idea. RSS should behave more like email than HTML. This will increase adoption. I wrote a post about my ideas here http://www.theadvertisinglunatic.com/?p=152
September 21st, 2007 | #