Public Relations

RSS Feeds

An important trend for delivering company information is through an Internet technology known by the acronym RSS (what it stands for depends on who you ask but most accepted name is Really Simple Syndication).  This technology makes it easy for people to know when new content is posted to a website.

While there are several flavors of RSS, the basic concept has content providers, such as news sites, corporate websites, blogs, etc., creating RSS documents that provide basic details of new content, such as content title, authorship information, description and links to the full content.  The nature of the technology allows anyone who links to the RSS feed to instantly receive details of the content.  Many journalists and other media members are finding this to be a more convenient way to acquire information, particularly if they follow a specific industry and can identify specific information websites to monitor.  By subscribing to relevant RSS feeds they have information delivered rather than spending time searching.

Podcasting

The emergence of the Apple iPod and other digital audio players has significantly altered how people listen to music by allowing easy downloading of desired songs.  But the use of audio players is not limited to music downloads; a fast growing application is to deliver other content including programming.  Public relations may soon find podcasting to be a quick and easy way to send out audio news releases and other promotional material.