[WEB4LIB] RE: Library blog question

[msauers at bcr.org]

> I am looking for some way to make them available
> via e-mail as new entries are added.  I would like to find some way to
> let patrons "subscribe" to a particular category and have them receive
> it via e-mail, preferably the actual entry but would settle for a note
> saying it had been updated or a new entry added.  Each category has an
> RSS feed.

Bill;

It may have been on this list, it may have been on another, but you're the
second person I've encountered in the past week on this issue. What's with
the wanting e-mail notification of updates. Notification are what the RSS
feeds are for! And, if you notify them of the update via e-mail they then
have to go to the site to read the post. RSS notifies them, and gives them
the content, reducing what the user needs to do by 50% and significantly
increasing the chance that they'll actually read your content since they
won't have to go get it for themselves.

Fine, your users may not be "RSS capable" at this point but this gives you
the perfect opportunity to teach them. Help them become more technologically
save and at the same time show them that it's not difficult. (This can only
make your life easier in the long run when your users are more educated.)
Why fall back on e-mail when you've got the perfect solution (RSS feeds)
already in place and working?

--------------------------------------------------
Michael Sauers, Librarian, Trainer & Author
Bibliographical Center for Research (BCR)
Aurora, CO :: 303-751-6277 x110 :: msauers at bcr.org
Yahoo & Skype: msauers         AIM: msauers1
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