Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Email updates via FeedBlitz

I've added the option of getting posts of this blog through email - via FeedBlitz. All you have to do is enter your email in the subscribe form on the sidebar at the right. And don't worry, your email will never be sold or any of that kind of stuff. I'm going to try it for a few weeks or so to see how I like it. Of course, if there are a bunch of subscribers via the email feed, I certainly won't remove it.

Seems like kind of a cool way for readers to get updates if they aren't interested in a newsreader. And other compelling reasons - from the FeedBlitz FAQ:
Not everyone understands RSS, Atom and XML. Only a fraction of US Internet users knowingly use RSS subscriptions and know what it is. If you don't provide an alternative mechanism for users to subscribe to your content, you're missing out on reaching over 80% of your potential audience.
RSS aggregation requires a feed-aware browser or a custom aggregator (either on your desktop or a web service). . . .
Email is ubiquitous. Everyone has it. It is the Internet's killer app. Phones, PDAs, almost any connected device can send and receive email. Email is a way to get your content to users on platforms without an RSS aggregator, or to products where getting RSS requires paying for a custom application and excessive airtime charges.
Email is great for fast moving feeds. If you're offline, your email server holds the feed updates until you're ready. For busy feeds, which may drop posts after a day or a week, email becomes the only way to read articles published and dropped while you're not able to use an aggregator, such as when you're away traveling, on vacation or during a lengthy power outage.
Email is searchable. . . .
Email is local. . . .
Most importantly - users want it. Email subscriptions. Simple concept. Huge demand. Why not?!

Technorati tags::

No comments:

Post a Comment