File this under the category, “I never thought I’d read this.”

A recent pronouncement from Google states that the volume of spam is actually dropping for the first time.

A lot of people may disagree with Google, but I suspect that there are many ways to measure spam volume and that Google’s take may not represent the overall Internet. Nonetheless, it’s an early and positive indicator that the battle lines against spam can shift back toward the good guys.

Posted by Bill Nussey at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A reader recently commented that it would be handy to be alerted, rather than having to check, whenever a new post appears on my blog. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of RSS. For the uninitiated, RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a technology that enables you to subscribe to a Web site in order to be notified whenever new content is published. RSS content is called a “feed,” and can be read using software called an “RSS aggregator” or “feed reader.” As you might have guessed, this Web site supports RSS.

There are several ways you can subscribe to my RSS feed, which automatically delivers each new headline and blog posting to you in full.

To subscribe using an RSS aggregator or feed reader application:

• Click the orange “XML” button that appears near the top of this blog.
• Copy the URL of the page that appears from the browser address bar (http://feeds.feedburner.com/QuietRevolutionInEmailMarketing).
• Paste the copied URL into your existing RSS feed reader. Or, if your RSS feed reader appears as a one-click button or in the drop-down list on my RSS feed page, you can select it there to use the one-click feature to add my feed.

If you don’t have an RSS feed reader, you can choose one of the many free Web-based news readers offered on my RSS feed page, or search the Web to find one you like. Once you’ve signed up, simply follow your feed reader’s instructions for how to add a feed.

RSS has also been integrated into Gmail, iGoogle and Outlook 2007. To subscribe directly from these applications:

• In Gmail: Click “Settings.” Click “Web Clips.” In “Search by Topic or URL” box, paste the URL of the RSS feed. Click “Search.” Click “Add.”
• In iGoogle: Click “Add Stuff.” Click “Add RSS Feed.” Paste the URL of the RSS feed.
• In Outlook 2007: You can find the instructions for adding RSS feeds to Outlook at this Microsoft Office Online Web page.

You can also install any of the popular RSS-to-email programs, like Attensa, that add feeds right to your email inbox or a sub-folder of your choosing, or sign up for one of the services that forwards feeds to your email inbox without having to install any software, like SendMeRSS. These applications monitor your RSS feeds, grab new posts and send them to your email program like email messages.

If you’re not yet using RSS, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a fabulous way to stay up-to-date with all your favorite news, blogs and any other Web sites you follow that offer updates via this exciting and convenient technology.

Posted by Bill Nussey at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A colleague recently sent me this post by New York Times reporter Saul Hansell to the Times' technology blog, Bits, about a new concept called “Inbox 2.0.” Hansell explores the idea that your inbox may no longer be ranked purely by when messages are received, but by the relevance of the sender. Needless to say, this could have a big impact on legitimate commercial email not to mention spam.

In many ways, I like this idea even though this kind of change can feel very threatening. Anything that helps recipients make sense of all their inbound communications is a good thing in the long run. For instance, a message from your boss, your spouse or your project leader might climb right to the top of your inbox, whereas messages offering college degrees (that your spam filter misses) would live down at the bottom. As a consumer, I find the idea somewhat compelling.

The idea faces some definite hurdles. For instance, while I absolutely want to see my e-boarding pass from Delta the moment it comes in, the latest promotion from Delta may not be as urgent. It’s not clear to me how an inbox provider could distinguish between these two extremes. Additionally, older ideas like challenge/response have never been widely adopted, even though they offer a more robust solution to managing the inbox.

Only time will tell whether this is the beginning of a paradigm shift or just another good idea to add to the “never reached critical mass” heap.

Posted by Bill Nussey at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)