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Defining_the_Relations_Between_Blogs_E zines_RSS_and_E mail
| Defining the Relations Between Blogs, E-zines, RSS and E-mail
Copyright 2005 Rok Hrastnik
Although RSS and blogs are slowly reaching mainstream, they are
still missuderstood by most marketers in relation to eachother
and in relation to their relatives, e-zines and e-mail. How do
these four really relate and what does this mean for your
internet marketing strategy?
The most common missconception is comparing blogs and e-mail,
with many bloggers actually touting blogs as a replacement for
e-mail. The truth is, there’s no comparison at all, just like
comparing apples and oranges.
The second missconception is believing that RSS and blogs are
somehow strongly related or even that RSS is good only for
delivering blog content. The result of this on one side are
marketers who do not see RSS as a full-powered communicational
channel, and bloggers on the other side who refuse to see e-mail
as a viable content delivery vehicle.
Let’s set the record straight …
RSS and e-mail are content delivery channels; the tools that
enable us to deliver our content to end-users, and in the case
of RSS, to other websites as well.
Blogs and e-zines are two different internet media content
formats, differing in how/what content is provided and presented
through them.
Explained in even simper terms:
Blogs and e-zines or newsletters are "the what" --- what you
publish online ... the content side.
RSS and e-mail are "the how" --- how you get that content or
information to the reader ... the delivery side.
RSS/e-mail and blogs/e-zines cannot be directly compared. Blog
content and e-zine content can both be delivered via RSS and
e-mail, and there is no direct business/logical relation
between, for example, blogs and RSS.
Saying that "blogs have some attributes & features that email
lacks" is in fact comparing two completely different things (an
internet media content format with a content delivery channel),
which are not directly related.
What makes sense, for example, is comparing e-zines and blogs ...
Blogs are "personal" conversations, opinions and news, delivered
in a linear structure, usually written in a more personal style,
and confined to a limited number of content types.
E-zines on the other hand are more similar to magazines or
newspapers, carrying content presented in a complex non-linear
content structure, and having the ability to carry many
different content types that do not mix well together if
provided through a linear content structure.
A typical e-zine might include:
--> an editorial; --> a leading article, representing the
prevailing topic of a specific e-zine issue; --> supporting
articles, clearly structured to show they are secondary to the
leading article; --> links to "best of" blog posts in the given
timeframe; --> links to the most relevant forum topics and
posts; --> a news section; --> a featured client case study; -->
different advertisements (banner ads, textual ads, advertorials
etc.); --> a featured consultant; --> a Q&A section; --> a
featured whitepaper; --> etc.
Providing all of this content demands a complex content
structure and a strong and experienced editor. The blog format
simply does not provide the level of structure needed to
effectively present such a complex content mix.
But that's not to say that blogs are in any way inferior to
e-zines, they're just different. And businesses need both, and
they need to deliver both via RSS and e-mail.
However, what is worrying is that some seem to think that
e-zines and e-mail are "backward". That's a dangerous line of
thought that comes close to shooting yourself in the foot.
Personal preferences towards content delivery channels and
internet content media formats have no place in business. What
matters is what our audiences want and how they want it.
Our goal must be to satisfy as many of "our people" as possible,
implementing all the tools and technologies needed to achieve
this goal. Letting our personal preferences get in the way is
dangerous at best.
And even if 90% of our customers/prospects/partners (etc.)
preferred RSS to e-mail to receive our content, it would still
be good business practice to provide both.
About the author:
Find out immediately how you can power your online business with
RSS and integrate it in all of your marketing. Request the free
28-page Business Case for RSS report, with easy-to-follow
instructions, examples and advice on how to get the most out of
RSS in the shortest possible time. Get the free download here:
http://rssdiary.marketingstudies.net/case/index.html?src=sa14
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