Less than 5% of Web Users Subscribe to RSS - What Does That Mean to You?

"Less than 5 percent of Internet users currently employ RSS readers, MediaPost says. That minority consists mainly of media and tech professionals, and bloggers who contend with information overload on a daily basis." - ZDNet.


For Blog/Web-masters:

It may be reasonable to include an old-fashioned "enter your email address to subscribe" form on your blog. Medical professional are busy people and not too many of them have the time (or desire) to learn new techno things, like RSS. On the other hand, it is likely that for now, only 5% of your non-medical readers will subscribe to your RSS feed.

The bottom line is, if you do not want your subscription audience to be only of medical bloggers, you may consider adding an email subscription form (as I just did). The venture capitalist blog (avc.blogs.com) confirms the same thing.

It is not RSS vs. email but rather RSS and email.

The email form on the blog is still powered by RSS. There are 3 services available - Bloglet, R|Mail, and RssFwd. Bloglet seems to be the best, and also their JavaScript form is prettier and more customizable.

Update 10/04/05:
Feedburner just joined the group with Back to the Future: Introducing Email Subscriptions.


For Blog Readers:

If you would like to receive updates from your favorite blogs, you can either:
-subscribe to RSS (this is the better option)
or
-enter your email in the subscription form (if there is one) on the blog

References:
Less than 5% of Web users use RSS readers by ZDNet
Email vs. RSS - A VC
Using RSS Feeds - The Easy Way to Stay Up-To-Date
Knowledge of Tech Terms - Google Blogoscoped
FeedBlitz Email Subscription Service: Feedburner Feeds in Your Inbox - Quick Online Tips
The anti-RSS hype - Scobleizer