Real Simple? Not if you don't understand it.

Saw this post over at lifehacker.com:

A new report shows use of RSS feeds growing from two to 11 percent in the past three years. The key finding, though, is only 17 percent of the 89 percent who don't use RSS are interested in learning how, indicating a possible peak. What do you see as RSS' main barrier to popularity, and how could it be fixed (or replaced)?

The premise is actually something I've been thinking about for some time now. In a world of too much information, how can you make things both digestible and relevant? RSS should be the answer. Personally, I use Google Reader. It provides an easy way to get all 40 of the blogs and sites I read in one place where I can zip through and pull out what's relevant. Everything from Influx Insights to BBC Americas.

So what's holding 89% of people back? Is it the joy of surfing the web and going through your preferred blogs one by one? Doubtful. In my mind (and it seems Forrester's mind) people just don't get how it works. Which is ridiculous because for the most part actually setting up a feed stream is ridiculously easy. My thought is that people aren't willing to push other available technology to allow consumers to get the information that brands desire to push. Why not create a video on how to set up Google Reader? You'd not only be helping people adopt a software-less platform that will show them the future of computing, but you'll be providing them with MARKETING AS SERVICE and endearing yourself to the people you want to talk to.

As Cialdini's work shows us: one of the most powerful influencers is reciprocity. If I give you something you feel indebted to me. And what better than the gift of information?