The Innovative Marketer

What is RSS?

RSS (really simple syndication OR remote site syndication) is a technology for distributing your content in a way that makes it easier for your customers to get the messages they want from you.

Note:  I said "that they want."  Not "that you want to deliver."

RSS allows us to get closer to the practices of Permission Marketing that Seth Godin preaches.  It's a way to respect customer's time and give them the ability to subscribe to your content via web browser, email or portal page (like Google).  This differs from email in that your content gets delivered automatically to a "channel" or folder in your computer program. 

Here's what customers can do if you add RSS capabilities (called a RSS feed) to your web site:

Your information appears directly on their Google home page with a link back to the original article on your web site or blog.

Want more information?  Bill Babcock wrote a short primer on the topic on his blog.

How to make a billion dollars

I thought the Web 2.0 hype peaked last year.  After all, the cool kids are all on to Web 3.0 already.  However, at some industry conferences, marketers are absolutely apoplectic about the possibilities of social media, blogs, podcasts, Second Life, YouTube, Ajax, blah blah blah. 

So, to them, and for you, oh entrepreneurial marketer, I offer you this simple guide to starting your own Web 2.0 company.

First choose, a domain name.  This site can help you get started with names like:

awayingo
faceblink
38triangles
openfiles
greenpeers
bubblestar
aledi

Next, you need a snappy Web 2.0 logo.  I suggest something like this:

which you can build yourself here.

Now it's time to build your business plan.  If you're experiencing writer's block, this site can help you breakthrough your paradigms to leverage your taxonomies.

Finally, you'll need an equally mindroasting and didactic web site.  You can do no better than have your site designed by (what else?) the Internet.  Try this automatic generator here.

Schedule your launch party on a private island in Second Life, invite some A list bloggers, and you're off to the races.

Remember when Yahoo! buys your company that you got your start here.

Business Blogs are the New Black

This quote from Dana VanDen Heuvel, director blog ad company Pheedo is typical of a lot of the breathless web 2.0 marketing kicking around these days:

RSS is the new e-mail, blogs are the new whitepaper and podcasting is the new Webinar.

Now, I'm sure Dana was trying to make a bigger point here and I think blogs are great, but please, someone take my wireless access away and make me stand in a quiet corner if any of these postings begin to sound like a white paper.

I mean, really.

When have you ever read a white paper that has the phrase, "I mean, really" in it?

RSS is not the new email.  Email is a push technology -- it appears in your inbox without any action on your part.  RSS (really simple syndication), which is the technology that allows content to be "subscribed to" on the Internet, is a pull technology.  When you make a request for new things, new things are pulled down to you.

And Podcasting being the new Webinar?  Nope.  First of all, if someone is rebroadcasting a Webcast as a Podcast, throw away the Ambien because you're in for a snoozefest.   A Podcast is much closer to a radio program than it is to a Webinar.  You have all the considerations of a good radio show -- segments, intros/outros, bumper music, that you don't normally worry about during a Webcast.

The greatest comedy is rooted in truth

Which is why this site is still so relevant.  And so timeless.

About Me

In case you aren't not a refugee from my two-year runup to this blog, The Gersh Report(now retired), let me tell you a bit about me. 

A 15 year marketing professional, former college English teacher, radio producer and camp director, I've spent my adult career trying to figure out how to make the corporate culture more lifelike, both from a quality perspective, but also in an outbound way.  That is, I try to communicate with customers like they are real people - not eyeballs, clickstreams, or wallets.

Tune in for more soon.  I'm starting a new job at the end of the month.

theinnovativemarketer.com?

Thanks to those of you who have sent congratulations about the new blog (by the way, if you want to get in touch, email sgershik (at) yahoo.com. 

By far, the most commently asked question (and no, sarcasm does not translate well in text) is:  "Couldn't you think of a longer web address than theinnovativemarketer.blogs.com?"

To which I answer:  Just try coming up with a shorter domain name these days.   

Read more about this in "Interesting Facts About Domain Names."