Comments on: Serious Problems with RSS – Part 2 (The ‘Wire’ Effect) http://kenyarmosh.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/ Ken Yarmosh is a product strategist who helps organizations, businesses, VCs, and technology developers maximize their Internet and mobile investments. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:22:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: TECHNOSIGHT » Serious Problems with RSS - Part 3 (Content Ambiguity) http://kenyarmosh.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-8120 TECHNOSIGHT » Serious Problems with RSS - Part 3 (Content Ambiguity) Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:32:09 +0000 http://www.technosight.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/#comment-8120 [...] Besides the fact that RSS subscribers can feel less connected or loyal to content creators (see The Wire Effect), content on a per source basis can also face ambiguity problems. [...] [...] Besides the fact that RSS subscribers can feel less connected or loyal to content creators (see The Wire Effect), content on a per source basis can also face ambiguity problems. [...]

]]> By: ron pruett/offertrax http://kenyarmosh.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-7755 ron pruett/offertrax Wed, 25 Oct 2006 23:37:30 +0000 http://www.technosight.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/#comment-7755 Here's what I just posted on squash a moment ago and want to emphasize the main idea - RSS is a fantastic opportunity for online conversations and transactions if the right tools and platforms are built around it. Currently, RSS is a press release mechanism. It's preceeded by an ugly orange button. There's a lot more potential there - but it must be made interesting and compelling to users/consumers. "Great posts and, yes, RSS feeds are largely sterile from a community standpoint. With Offertrax, we’re giving merchants and consumers the ability to connect and have conversations based around RSS feeds that can be shared with communities. We expect the communities to be built around products or specific offers. RSS allows folks to “pull” what interests them and, going forward as consumers gain more control, that is the way the Web is going." Here’s what I just posted on squash a moment ago and want to emphasize the main idea – RSS is a fantastic opportunity for online conversations and transactions if the right tools and platforms are built around it. Currently, RSS is a press release mechanism. It’s preceeded by an ugly orange button. There’s a lot more potential there – but it must be made interesting and compelling to users/consumers. “Great posts and, yes, RSS feeds are largely sterile from a community standpoint. With Offertrax, we’re giving merchants and consumers the ability to connect and have conversations based around RSS feeds that can be shared with communities. We expect the communities to be built around products or specific offers. RSS allows folks to “pull” what interests them and, going forward as consumers gain more control, that is the way the Web is going.”

]]> By: Doug http://kenyarmosh.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/comment-page-1/#comment-7719 Doug Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:59:25 +0000 http://www.technosight.com/serious-problems-with-rss-part-2-the-wire-effect/#comment-7719 Ken, A question to ponder, is it RSS that is the problem or the people using it? Another way to put it would be, is it the RSS (feed and reader) technology that is the problem or does it only add to the problem? I have a strong suspicion that RSS is a technology birthed out of the 'Suburban Legend' that "I need to get more done with less time." People (me included) fill their RSS reader of choice with loads and loads of feeds knowing full well that they simply cannot make the commitment to read more than a select portion of those. The WANT to consume and maybe even participate in all of those blogs b/c they are genuinely interested in all of them but with time as the limiting constraint they are forced to choose a select few. So it seems each RSS feeds are like acquaintances and blogs (that you go to and comment on) are like friends. Each person must choose to spend their limited time either establishing a few genuine friendships or amassing a large number of acquaintances. The problem is people feel a need to know of a lot of people rather than truly know a select few people. The same is true with blogs (and MySpace for that matter). The majority of people can't resist the pressure to try and consume it all (make many acquaintances) instead of selecting a few to truly participate in (establishing deep relationships or learning). These two concepts are at odds with one another and is true in life as well as the 'blogoshere'. The Suburban Legend isn’t true. We don’t need to get more done with less time. We need to go deeper people, interests, blogs, learning in the same amount of time. The way to buy time isn’t with better technology but with fewer (& deeper) commitments/subscriptions. Sorry to get all philosophical on you. :) A big shout out to Tony Morgan for the Suburban Legend reference. http://www.tonymorganlive.com/tony_morgan_one_of_the_si/2006/10/watch_this_mess.html Ken,

A question to ponder, is it RSS that is the problem or the people using it? Another way to put it would be, is it the RSS (feed and reader) technology that is the problem or does it only add to the problem? I have a strong suspicion that RSS is a technology birthed out of the ‘Suburban Legend’ that “I need to get more done with less time.” People (me included) fill their RSS reader of choice with loads and loads of feeds knowing full well that they simply cannot make the commitment to read more than a select portion of those. The WANT to consume and maybe even participate in all of those blogs b/c they are genuinely interested in all of them but with time as the limiting constraint they are forced to choose a select few.

So it seems each RSS feeds are like acquaintances and blogs (that you go to and comment on) are like friends. Each person must choose to spend their limited time either establishing a few genuine friendships or amassing a large number of acquaintances. The problem is people feel a need to know of a lot of people rather than truly know a select few people. The same is true with blogs (and MySpace for that matter). The majority of people can’t resist the pressure to try and consume it all (make many acquaintances) instead of selecting a few to truly participate in (establishing deep relationships or learning). These two concepts are at odds with one another and is true in life as well as the ‘blogoshere’. The Suburban Legend isn’t true. We don’t need to get more done with less time. We need to go deeper people, interests, blogs, learning in the same amount of time. The way to buy time isn’t with better technology but with fewer (& deeper) commitments/subscriptions.

Sorry to get all philosophical on you. :) A big shout out to Tony Morgan for the Suburban Legend reference.

http://www.tonymorganlive.com/tony_morgan_one_of_the_si/2006/10/watch_this_mess.html

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