Home Delivery

Another problem: RSS is seen by some corporate managers as a fringe technology, akin to other Gen X favorites like podcasts and Instant Messaging. But as with podcasts and IM, such thinking is likely to change — and soon. Microsoft plans to include RSS features in the next releases of both Windows (Windows Vista) and Internet Explorer. Publishers of mainstream business applications are also expected to incorporate RSS capabilities into their enterprise applications, possibly by the end of next year. In time, personalized RSS-based feeds will probably be as familiar to business users as electronic mail. "Most people today don't know what SMTP is, but it's the protocol used to deliver E-mail," notes Forrester Research principal analyst Charlene Li. "RSS will be like that."

Yasmin Ghahremani writes about business and technology from New York.

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Now in Syndication

• 2% of Internet users subscribe to podcasts
• 28% of Internet users are aware of podcasting
• 12% of Internet users are aware of RSS
• 27% of Internet users read RSS-filtered content on start pages without knowing that RSS is the enabling technology
• 50% of RSS users are between the ages of 18 and 34*
• 22% of RSS users are 50 years old or over*

*Of those who are aware that they are using the technology.

Sources: Yahoo, Ipsos Insight

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Pod People

They may not know it, but some business managers have already embraced RSS technology. The podcast, a Gen X media that is increasingly being used to deliver corporate news to shareholders, is generally syndicated using the RSS protocol.

A podcast (essentially a digitized audio file put on a Website) can be downloaded to a computer or, more often, an MP3-capable audio player. Once the file is stored, subscribers are able to listen to the Webfeed at any time — a real plus. New content gets delivered automatically to a subscriber's PC or handheld device via Really Simple Syndication technology. Microsoft, IBM, and General Motors are just a few of the publicly traded companies that regularly send out investor information via podcast.

Some businesses are exploring different ways to exploit the fledgling technology. Financial-services specialist Capital One, for instance, has distributed about 3,000 iPods to employees for training purposes. Management encourages workers to use the portable players to download training materials or even audio books. Vice president of finance Geoff Rubin, who teaches a short company course on corporate risk and capital adequacy, says students are required to download an audio book two weeks before his class. Rubin thinks listening to an eight-hour podcast is more manageable than reading a 200-page book. "We've had much higher class-participation rates than I would have expected if we'd assigned the written book," he says.

Others are using podcasting to connect with customers. Appliance-maker Whirlpool has a weekly interview series called "American Family Podcast" that covers topics on parenting and family relationships. The aim, says Whirlpool's management, is to build brand loyalty with relevant information, not new-product come-ons. "We won't make it a vocalization of a sales sheet," says Audrey Reed-Granger, director of public relations for Whirlpool-brand appliances. "Consumers know when they're being sold to."

Maybe so, but a whole lot of marketers see podcasts as an ideal way to reach younger customers. Scores of youth-oriented companies — Nike and Apple, among others — already use podcasts to send out new-product announcements.

It's unclear if the Webfeeds are generating much revenue. In fact, eager marketers may want to temper their predictions about a podcast revolution. Despite brisk sales of personal audio players (more than 22 million Americans now own iPods or MP3 players), podcasting attracts a relatively tiny audience. How tiny? Forrester Research says less than one percent of North American online consumers listen to podcasts at least once a month.

That percentage will undoubtedly rise over time. For now, consultants say businesses should keep their podcasts simple — and cheap. "It's hard to justify creating original content right now, because of the small audience size," says Forrester Research principal analyst Charlene Li. "We advise starting with existing content — like earnings calls." — Y.G.

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