RSS Reaches Double Digits Usage
According to a report entitled “What’s Holding RSS Back?” published by Forrester Research, RSS usage has reached an all time high of 11%. On the down side, it does not seem that this percentage will increase any further – not in the near future at least.
A total of 2,231 adults from the US were asked the question “Do you currently use an RSS feed?” The majority, 78% to be more precise, said that they do not. 11% answered with a positive answer, while the remaining 12% were not even sure if they use RSS or not, so they could not provide an adequate answer. If you have noticed that these percentages do not add up (78+12+11=101), then you are right. But this phenomenon has occurred due to rounding.
To the question “How interested would you be in using RSS technology in the future”, a total of 1,990 adults from the US answered. Please note that to the previous question these people answered that they do not currently use RSS technology, or they are not sure whether they use it or not. Only 3% expressed their strong interest in using RSS feeds in the future. 25% expressed their strong disinterest, while the majority of respondents (about 41%) said that the issue presents no interest to them. In other words, they have others things to worry about, and can’t be bothered about RSS.
But things are not as bleak as they seem at first glance. Keep in mind that back in 2005 RSS usage was of just 2%, and that most web pages nowadays provide RSS feeds.
It seems that there is a bit of gender discrimination regarding RSS technology usage. The study has revealed that men use it more than women do. It kind of makes sense, because the learning curve is rather steep, not to mention the fact that RSS technology is geekier than most of us would like to admit.
A total of 2,231 adults from the US were asked the question “Do you currently use an RSS feed?” The majority, 78% to be more precise, said that they do not. 11% answered with a positive answer, while the remaining 12% were not even sure if they use RSS or not, so they could not provide an adequate answer. If you have noticed that these percentages do not add up (78+12+11=101), then you are right. But this phenomenon has occurred due to rounding.
To the question “How interested would you be in using RSS technology in the future”, a total of 1,990 adults from the US answered. Please note that to the previous question these people answered that they do not currently use RSS technology, or they are not sure whether they use it or not. Only 3% expressed their strong interest in using RSS feeds in the future. 25% expressed their strong disinterest, while the majority of respondents (about 41%) said that the issue presents no interest to them. In other words, they have others things to worry about, and can’t be bothered about RSS.
But things are not as bleak as they seem at first glance. Keep in mind that back in 2005 RSS usage was of just 2%, and that most web pages nowadays provide RSS feeds.
It seems that there is a bit of gender discrimination regarding RSS technology usage. The study has revealed that men use it more than women do. It kind of makes sense, because the learning curve is rather steep, not to mention the fact that RSS technology is geekier than most of us would like to admit.
