August 29, 2006 16 Comments

98 Percent Don’t Use RSS

Is this stat true? I heard that 98% of webusers don’t use RSS. (stat found at scobleizer).

When you see that button, do you know what it means? Do YOU use an RSS reader? I know that Pascal does, because he has a 100-feed rule.

But what about you?

When I tell you the Great Big Small Business Show has 93 subscribers via this button:

do you think, “Oh yeah, I meant to do that,” or do you think, “I just go to the site when I need something?”

Inquiring minds want to know.

Related posts:

  1. My Favorite Podcasts
  2. Feeds of cb.c Hit 50!

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  • http://blog.markmoloney.com/ Mark M

    I only visit the site to comment on an article that I read in my RSS reader, Bloglines.

  • http://blog.markmoloney.com/ Mark M

    I only visit the site to comment on an article that I read in my RSS reader, Bloglines.

  • Anonymous

    When I see that 98% don’t use RSS, I wonder if any of those folks are like me in that:
    1. They don’t know how to set up an RSS feed
    2. When they start to research setting up an RSS feed they see so many different products and ways to go about it that they get overwhelmed and leave it for another day (that never comes)
    3. They don’t even know if their blog can support having an RSS feed because they can’t see any evidence of that.

  • http://www.15SecondPitch.com Laura Allen

    When I see that 98% don’t use RSS, I wonder if any of those folks are like me in that:
    1. They don’t know how to set up an RSS feed
    2. When they start to research setting up an RSS feed they see so many different products and ways to go about it that they get overwhelmed and leave it for another day (that never comes)
    3. They don’t even know if their blog can support having an RSS feed because they can’t see any evidence of that.

  • http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Ahhh, but that’s the beauty of the new technology landscape:

    1.) FeedBurner.com . Done.
    2.) See #1.
    3.) This is marginally trickier, but if you’re using any modern blogging software and not some home-rolled or corporate-wonky blog software, you’re probably RSS or ATOM enabled.

    One easy way to tell is use Firefox. If you see that weird symbol at the right of the address bar when viewing your blog, then you’ve got a feed. Click it and it’ll throw up a bookmark option. Right-click (or control click for Mac) and select Properties, and you’ll see the feed address tucked in there.

    I will personally hand-walk you through publishing an RSS feed if you don’t find your answer through this reply.

    Step 1.) Try the #3 trick above and look for the feed. If you’re using ie, switch, THEN try.

    Step 2.) Failing that, tell me which software you’re using and point me towards your blog.

    Step 3.) Check on FeedBurner.com for resources because they’re in the business of helping you publish your RSS.

    Step 4.) Call my cell.

  • http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Ahhh, but that’s the beauty of the new technology landscape:

    1.) FeedBurner.com . Done.
    2.) See #1.
    3.) This is marginally trickier, but if you’re using any modern blogging software and not some home-rolled or corporate-wonky blog software, you’re probably RSS or ATOM enabled.

    One easy way to tell is use Firefox. If you see that weird symbol at the right of the address bar when viewing your blog, then you’ve got a feed. Click it and it’ll throw up a bookmark option. Right-click (or control click for Mac) and select Properties, and you’ll see the feed address tucked in there.

    I will personally hand-walk you through publishing an RSS feed if you don’t find your answer through this reply.

    Step 1.) Try the #3 trick above and look for the feed. If you’re using ie, switch, THEN try.

    Step 2.) Failing that, tell me which software you’re using and point me towards your blog.

    Step 3.) Check on FeedBurner.com for resources because they’re in the business of helping you publish your RSS.

    Step 4.) Call my cell.

  • Anonymous

    okay, with Chris’ expert help, I think my RSS feeder is working.
    :)
    laura

  • http://www.15SecondPitch.com Laura Allen

    okay, with Chris’ expert help, I think my RSS feeder is working.
    :)
    laura

  • http://stevegarfield.com steve garfield

    You say that you have 93 subscribers, but you don’t really know that. Remember when I told you that the number that feedburner lists is the number of people who grabbed your feed that day?

    When people subscribe to your feed you don’t get a record of that. They don’t send in their email address to you. You actually have no idea of how many subscribers you have.

    93 people turned on their computer and fired up their aggregator to day and pinged your feed. Other than that, you don’t really know.

  • http://stevegarfield.com steve garfield

    You say that you have 93 subscribers, but you don’t really know that. Remember when I told you that the number that feedburner lists is the number of people who grabbed your feed that day?

    When people subscribe to your feed you don’t get a record of that. They don’t send in their email address to you. You actually have no idea of how many subscribers you have.

    93 people turned on their computer and fired up their aggregator to day and pinged your feed. Other than that, you don’t really know.

  • http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    In this post, I mentioned 98%. You’re right though. You set me straight about that number.

    I’m way up to nearly 300 people turning on the computer most days. Woooooo.

    God I want better metrics.

  • http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    In this post, I mentioned 98%. You’re right though. You set me straight about that number.

    I’m way up to nearly 300 people turning on the computer most days. Woooooo.

    God I want better metrics.

  • Anonymous

    :-)

    It is funny that you would refer to my 101 feeds – 1 more than stated! ;-)

    As we are now getting close to the start of the new semester at the university, I am now trying to get right under 70 feeds. It is a case of keeping enough mental bandwith to deal to the day to day work in term time.

    Comments of your post have made me reflect on how knowledge about ICT issues is been propagated on the internet, not among “propeller heads”, but among people who like myself have developped a keen interest, without being specialists by training.
    I commonly describe myself as a dummy-eek (my very own home-made contraction of dummy and geek!)

    Reading blogs together with cross-checking on Wikipedia is a great way to learn. This post and the comments are a great tribute to that.

  • http://pascalvenier.com/blog/ Pascal Venier

    :-)

    It is funny that you would refer to my 101 feeds – 1 more than stated! ;-)

    As we are now getting close to the start of the new semester at the university, I am now trying to get right under 70 feeds. It is a case of keeping enough mental bandwith to deal to the day to day work in term time.

    Comments of your post have made me reflect on how knowledge about ICT issues is been propagated on the internet, not among “propeller heads”, but among people who like myself have developped a keen interest, without being specialists by training.
    I commonly describe myself as a dummy-eek (my very own home-made contraction of dummy and geek!)

    Reading blogs together with cross-checking on Wikipedia is a great way to learn. This post and the comments are a great tribute to that.

  • http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Dummy geek.. deek? Better than a gummy. : )

    70? That’s uncivilized! : )

  • http://www.chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Dummy geek.. deek? Better than a gummy. : )

    70? That’s uncivilized! : )