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BLOGS | Noah Brier

Another Blog that Wasn't

March 27, 2005 | RSS | EMAIL | PRINT | 11 COMMENTS

The Captain of Captain Morgan's fame has started a "blog." At least that's what they're calling it. The thing is, it's got no RSS feed. I've talked about this before (check out this entry about the Family Guy blog, a problem they quickly fixed), however, it needs to be restated.

For all you companies out there, listen up:

If you're creating something, and calling it a blog, IT MUST HAVE RSS! DO YOU HEAR ME? This is not a choice, as soon as I go to something labeled as a blog that doesn't have a feed I immediately know they're FULL OF SHIT. If you're going to try to be cool and make a blog, why don't you spend 15 minutes and read up a little on what blogs are, it might serve you well.

I don't know if I'd go as far as Scoble and say, "Sorry, if you do a marketing site and you don't have an RSS feed today you should be fired." (Though I do agree in many cases.) However, I think it's safe to say if you do a marketing blog and you don't have an RSS feed today you should be fired. Seriously, what are you thinking?

Thanks to gapingvoid for the Captain Morgan's link (which had the title "The "Beyond Lame" Award"), and make sure you go check out the cartoon that goes along with Hugh's entry.

UPDATE (3/27/05): Scott Rafer at Feedster points me to another marketing "blog" without an RSS feed. Geico, GET WITH IT!

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COMMENTS

1Scott Rafer at Feedster

You may want to add the advice for those marketers to also use http://feedster.com/add.php and hit the various ping servers.

March 27, 2005

2Alex

Say, Steve Pavlina's blog has an RSS feed. But it contains headlines/teasers only. That's one of the lamest practices I've met.

March 27, 2005

3steven streight aka vaspers the grate

I hate RSS feeds, and I say only pseudo blogs use it.

RSS feeds are "push" rather "pull" info technology.

RSS is "Really Not Simple" according to famous web designer, programmer, and MIT professor, John Maeda:

http://weblogs.media.mit.edu/SIMPLICITY/
archives/000093.html

There is RSS spam, where spammers scrape email addresses from feeds.

There is RSS ad spam, where ads are added to the feed from blogs.

There are those annoying pill shaped widgets that blink at me like a frigging animated flashing banner ad.

RSS is horrible.

I got to blogs every day to read what I want. I don't need RSS feeds pushing content, headlines, blog titles at me, screaming "Read Me! I just been Updated! Read Me! I'm Important!"

No thanks.

I don't need RSS readers, feeders, or hype.

"Against RSS Feeds: Link Overload and Spam"

http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/2005/02/
against-rss-feeds-link-overload-and.html

March 28, 2005

4steven streight aka vaspers the grate

Do you monitor and delay posting of comments?

Then why not state that upfront?

Good way to prevent Comment Spam. I commend you.

March 28, 2005

5Noah Brier

I don't monitor and delay posting of comments . . . I'm not sure why comments don't post immediately, all you have to do is hit refresh when you post them.

March 28, 2005

6Rich...!

I think steven straight's on really bad acid.

Oh, and you can get his feed here:

http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/atom.xml

A feedless site just won the South African blogawards, people were really pissed.

I was too...!

March 28, 2005

7Ben Edwards

THere were blogs before RSS feeds were popular and blogs do not need to have RSS - deciding to write a blog is a persoanl decision for the writer and is an agreement of sorts between author and reader. If those two parties agree that they do not need or want to deliver/recieve that specific content in that manner that is their business. It can still be called a "weblog" or "blog", regardless of the fac that both those words suck ass.

March 28, 2005

8Noah Brier

Blogs are really hard to define, I agree, and yes, they did exist before RSS. However, RSS exists now and it is an intergral part of blogs, at least the kind of blogs that Captain Morgan's modeled its site after.

March 28, 2005

9Gareth

That South African site looks more like an advertising site, but the content is ok. Can't believe it won tho'...
Anyone know who did the awarding?

Speaking of that, the awards look even more dubious - looks like they got about 12 nominations.
Hey, maybe there are only 12 South African bloggers? ;-)

March 31, 2005

10Rachel

Noah Boah Helloah. Old Nanny 911 here. Tell your mom I said hello. I think about you guys often. R.

October 6, 2005

11rogotenin

Hello

I am Lucy, I have found your website while searching for some info at Google. Your site has helped me in a big way.


Bye




July 6, 2007