Is Twitter the new RSS? Seems things are starting to go that way. Where do you get your news from? Many of us in the past have utilized RSS feeds but a recent Forrester Research study found that only 9% of U.S. online adults are using these feeds on a monthly basis. Many have suggested that RSS feeds are a "Web 1.0 tool" that failed to catch on the same way Facebook and Twitter have. Why?
Well for starters, RSS isn’t really that simple. Organizing is a pain, and keeping up with the information just seems impossible. Don’t forget the fact that there is no weight given to each specific blog post or article, so how are you suppose to determine which story is the most valuable when browsing news quickly? I suppose knowing it is coming from a trusted source is a good indication, but with sites like Facebook and Twitter you can see others impressions of the content quickly and easily to determine this.
Google’s recent
post on their blog about RSS feeds answered the question: what great stuff should I read? This is likely their attempt to bring some people back to Google Reader which uses RSS feeds. They’ve compiled a list of the resources their Power Readers utilize. The
power readers consist of: journalists, fashion critics, techies, foodies and more. But many are finding that RSS just isn’t cutting it, and they are turning to Twitter for all of their information.
Twitter is a social way of getting the news. Many news outlets have started publishing content on Twitter, and oftentimes breaking news is posted here first. Following @Breaking News, @NYTimes, @Reuters, @CNN, @MSNBC, @CBSNews, @LaTimesNews, and others are just a few ways to stay connected. Even industry related topics are quickly available for your reading pleasure: just find the heavy hitters in your industry and follow their tweets. They are sure to pass on great information before you have the time to search it out.
Twitter also allows you to talk about the news with your friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers you’ve never met. This socialization factor is something that RSS can’t even come close to replicating. Socialization is the key to getting and keeping the attention span of our modern internet users.
Where do you get your news?
Kaila is a Sr. Account Manager at Vertical Measures. She works directly with clients to evaluate and analyze their overall Internet Marketing needs, creates sales proposals and recommendations. In addition she regularly reports on client rankings, gives SEO advice to brands in a variety of industries and manages client expectations.
Kaila has a background in social media marketing, link building, SEO and content marketing. She’s an active blogger on SearchEngineWatch.com, and an avid social media user (@cliquekaila on Twitter). She brings her experience to the table with new clients and enjoys writing about her experiences as well here on the VM blog and throughout the web.
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Tags: facebook, Google, RSS, twitter
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September 1st, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I’ve given up with Twitter, the short bit of text just doesn’t give justice to full news stories. I tend to just visit the actual website on my iPhone, like the BBC, NYT etc.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:17 am
I’ve given up with Twitter, the short bit of text just doesn’t give justice to full news stories. I tend to just visit the actual website on my iPhone, like the BBC, NYT etc.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:49 am
I originally started then gave up on twitter, preferring facebook if anything.
But I have slowly drifted back to twitter. Some things that have improved my twitter experience vastly:
- iPhone apps like twitfon that are way friendlier than the standard web interface and intergrate with twitpic etc.
- Being picky about my friends list on twitter, weeding out the dull and relentless and seeking out industry opinion makers. Always keep revising your list and be brutal.
- Link up. My tweets are now published to my facebook profile including links and images etc via the twitter facebook app. I also publish tweets on my blog (as well as my fave google reader snippets). Enabling one interface to talk to a multitude of apps – I’m reaching my full audience and only having to post something once.
As a result of these changes I found I am using twitter more effectively, though granted the short text bursts are not to everyone’s taste.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:49 am
I originally started then gave up on twitter, preferring facebook if anything.
But I have slowly drifted back to twitter. Some things that have improved my twitter experience vastly:
- iPhone apps like twitfon that are way friendlier than the standard web interface and intergrate with twitpic etc.
- Being picky about my friends list on twitter, weeding out the dull and relentless and seeking out industry opinion makers. Always keep revising your list and be brutal.
- Link up. My tweets are now published to my facebook profile including links and images etc via the twitter facebook app. I also publish tweets on my blog (as well as my fave google reader snippets). Enabling one interface to talk to a multitude of apps – I’m reaching my full audience and only having to post something once.
As a result of these changes I found I am using twitter more effectively, though granted the short text bursts are not to everyone’s taste.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
@Amy – I think you’re kind of missing what Kaila is saying. Sure, you do get a 140 character snippet of the news from Twitter… but she’s saying that these sites are using Twitter as a replacement for promoting RSS feeds. You see an interesting news story because you follow @CNN or whatever on Twitter, click the link, and read!
I have actually set up Twitter accounts for each of my personal sports blogs with the intention of the account being little more than an RSS feed. Sure, if someone sends an @ or DM to the account I will respond… but I have noticed that traffic does come in from Twitter when your followers are engaged. I probably get a lot more clicks and traffic by engaging people on Twitter and syndicating through Twitter than I would if I promoted the heck out of my RSS feed.
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:21 am
@Amy – I think you’re kind of missing what Kaila is saying. Sure, you do get a 140 character snippet of the news from Twitter… but she’s saying that these sites are using Twitter as a replacement for promoting RSS feeds. You see an interesting news story because you follow @CNN or whatever on Twitter, click the link, and read!
I have actually set up Twitter accounts for each of my personal sports blogs with the intention of the account being little more than an RSS feed. Sure, if someone sends an @ or DM to the account I will respond… but I have noticed that traffic does come in from Twitter when your followers are engaged. I probably get a lot more clicks and traffic by engaging people on Twitter and syndicating through Twitter than I would if I promoted the heck out of my RSS feed.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Twitter is not a good RSS reader. It’s good for the breaking news stories through the “what’s hot” feature but other than that it’s full of spam and worthlessness.
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 am
Twitter is not a good RSS reader. It’s good for the breaking news stories through the “what’s hot” feature but other than that it’s full of spam and worthlessness.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
If you are able to find and refine your list of people you are following I think Twitter can act better than the “whats hot” feature. While the “whats hot” feature is still great to use, I feel that following my favorite business sites, news sites, and others who are interested in sharing great information, I can really benefit from their tweets.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:49 pm
If you are able to find and refine your list of people you are following I think Twitter can act better than the “whats hot” feature. While the “whats hot” feature is still great to use, I feel that following my favorite business sites, news sites, and others who are interested in sharing great information, I can really benefit from their tweets.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:50 pm
You are right Jonathan, thanks for clarifying! I also have multiple accounts, and have found much success like you have. Try out HootSuite and other platforms that allow you to use all accounts at once. You’ll find that you are tweeting like a mad man with ease on each of your accounts.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
You are right Jonathan, thanks for clarifying! I also have multiple accounts, and have found much success like you have. Try out HootSuite and other platforms that allow you to use all accounts at once. You’ll find that you are tweeting like a mad man with ease on each of your accounts.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Thanks Jonathan for sharing this important information about twitter with us.
Thanks a lot!
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Thanks Jonathan for sharing this important information about twitter with us.
Thanks a lot!
February 16th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Just thought i would comment and say neat theme, did you code it yourself? Looks great.
February 16th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Just thought i would comment and say neat theme, did you code it yourself? Looks great.