I had the pleasure of interviewing – and being interviewed by – Mr. RSS himself recently… Rok Hrastnik. Rok is based in Slovenia but you’ll find him everywhere these days. Just type “RSS marketing” into Google and his MarketingStudies.net site should come up first or near the top.
He’s the author of Unleash the Marketing and Publishing Potential of RSS. More about this comprehensive (550 pages!) but highly readable PDF e-book later (I highly recommend it)… First, you’ll want to click here (MP3, 11 MB, 48 minutes) to download or listen to our podcast.
In Part I, I ask Rok some basic questions about RSS and how to explain this new communications channel to those not yet familiar with it. He’s got some great answers to help folks get over the hurdle of downloading or signing up for an RSS newsreader. We both agreed that when you click on an orange RSS button it’s essential to have an “interim” page pop up explaining RSS and newsreaders. Click the RSS button at the top of this blog and you’ll see what I mean.
Then in Part II, Rok interviews me on how a company can profit from a corporate blog, how blogs relate to branding, blogs and direct marketing, what companies should blog about… and more.
Oh, and if you’re wondering how we interviewed each other and recorded the podcast… Rok used a nifty online conference room called iVocalize.com. Now, come clean… do you REALLY know where Slovenia is? (Hint: near Italy)
Recommended sites to learn more about RSS:
Rok’s Unleash the Marketing and Publishing Power of RSS
Rok’s RSS Diary
CNet’s tutorial on RSS
Lockergnome
Robin Good’s MasterNewMedia
Duct Tape Marketing’s Marketing With RSS