So does automation really inhibit our ability to connect with others? Do rss feeds and social media mix well? Or are they about as good together as oil and water?
Well, there is no substitute for learning through experience, so I decided to put rss feeds to the test.
Here are a few things I've found:
1. Used correctly, they can help you connect with your audience:
It gives your audience a chance to see what sites and topics you take an interest in, telling them a bit about your personality. Bottom line though, if you're unable to reply to an inquiry after a rss posts happens, then it is going to reflect poorly on you.
2. If used incorrectly, it can really hinder your connection with your followers:
If all your profile is about is automation, then Twitter or Facebook probably aren't the places for you. Indeed, you will build somewhat of an online presence, but it won't be authentic. You won't be having real conversations with others.
3. It can give you a chance to discover great information you may have missed:
For example, I follow @mashable on Twitter. It is simply an rss feed of the site. Where I personally don't recommend running a feed 24 hours of the day, for Mashable it seems to work because of their quality content. If it wouldn't have been for rss feeds, I would not have come across some great sites like Hubspot, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, etc. I discovered these through others I followed who were publishing feeds.
4. It sometimes can publish content/links that you may not normally post yourself.
You need to be extremely selective and cautious as to who you choose to feed. Don't use Playboy's feed just because you enjoyed a tech article they wrote. Chances are you'll be getting more then tech news.
5. It can put you in front of your audience more frequently:
Having a feed to complement your personal tweets or post can help your followers see you more often. With that said, your rss feed should not be the majority of your tweets/post. Is there a magic number of personal vs feed tweets? I believe each person is different, so the best way to find this it to test out what's optimal for you. Through a bit of experimentation, I've learned what works and doesn't work for my audience. Just be careful not to do my next point......
7. You can annoy the heck out of your followers, and be labeled a spammer:
If your Twitter/Facebook profile is simply posting rss links, or you are posting every 5 minutes, chances are you're going to be labeled as a spammer or not authentic. I once had 93 direct messages on Twitter in less than a few hours (while stepping away from the computer). This person appeared to be completely legit, but clearly didn't understand rss feeds. Didn't take me long to unfollow them.
8. It can be easily copied:
It's possible that you can have the same feed as someone else. Which basically means you will be posting the exact same content as them. Try to find unique blogs with quality content that not everyone else is using. Some blogs will allow you to rss specific pages instead of the entire site itself.
9. Make sure to check out the track record of the feed you choose.
You can do this by using a feed reader like Google Reader. Scroll through to see the feed's past history, and if aligns with your personality or message.
For more pro's and con's on rss, and how it affects SEO, check out this great article by http://www.feedforall.com/pros-and-cons-of-rss-feeds.htm.
What has your experience been with rss feeds?
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