Sharon Housely at FeedForAll makes a good argument that RSS make the biggest splash for enterprise users.

The most simple explanation: it’s a pull medium. People, in this case consumers, can select which content they want to receive. This pull for content will keep the case for good quality high and the hard sell low - after all, you can just as easily hit unsubscribe.

Although I seriously do not agree with some of Sharon’s assumptions (that without monetizing blogs, bloggers will abandon them and the blogosphere as we know it will die), I will pull out those tidbits which are significant. That companies are increasingly finding value in the medium of RSS and that this trend will continue (although not, as Sharon thinks, to the detriment of personal blogging).

As businesses adopt RSS and consumers experiment with feeds, the popularity of RSS will grow. Ultimately, consumers are the driving force behind technology. The convenience of RSS and increased popularity will set a precedent for consumer expectations. Businesses using RSS as a communication vehicle are able to create keyword-rich, themed content, establishing trust, reputation, and ongoing communication with current and prospective customers…

Consumer expectation will drive businesses that are slow to adopt. Ultimately, RSS will be a standard, like email addresses and websites are now a “must” for businesses. RSS feeds will join their ranks.

Blogs and RSS propose a challenge to companies to drop the old way of thinking and to adopt a different approach to communications. An open sharing of information, insight and perspective. It is an inexpensive tool in the communications toolbox that for now provides significant business benefits but that will, in time, be less of an option and more of a requirement for business success.

via Sally Falkow

Technorati Tags: blogging, monetization, communications, rss