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ProBlogger: What’s Your Reaction to the Retirement of Google Reader?

ProBlogger: What’s Your Reaction to the Retirement of Google Reader?

Link to @ProBlogger

What’s Your Reaction to the Retirement of Google Reader?

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 07:23 AM PDT

Yesterday Google announced the retirement of their Google Reader RSS reader product.

I’ve tweeted a little about it but thought it might be interesting to see the response of readers to this news. it seems at least some people are concerned (with thousands signing this petition already).

For me it is annoying to lose the RSS reader that has become a part of my daily reading of new content on the web – however what is of greater concern to me is the impact it could have upon blog readerships.

Last time I surveyed ProBlogger and dPS reader Google Reader was the #1 reader for subscribing RSS feeds among our readers. While there are many other options out there and some of our readers will no doubt switch to another RSS reader I suspect that some will simply give up on RSS.

Last time I checked ProBlogger’s Google Analytics stats around 7.5% of our traffic was classified as ‘Feedburner/Feed’ traffic. By no means the majority of our traffic – but significant (more than comes from either Facebook or Twitter).

While not all of the 7.5% of traffic will be the result of Google Reader it’ll be interesting to see how much of it is once Google switch it off in July!

What do you think?

  • Do you use Google Reader?
  • If so will you stop reading RSS feeds or will you switch to a new reader (if so, which one)?
  • As a publisher are you concerned that many of your own readers will be lost due to the retirement of Google Reader?
  • If you’re concerned – what steps will you take to try to ensure readers transition to other ways of following your site?

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
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What’s Your Reaction to the Retirement of Google Reader?
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Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

Link to ShoeMoney Internet Marketing Blog

Sustaining a Competitive Advantage is harder then ever.

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 05:00 AM PDT

Since the 80′s the business world has had its foot on the accelerator and continues shifting gears every decade.

With all the introduction of new technologies the Internet, email, smart phones ect.. it is harder than ever to build a lasting sustainable competitive advantage over your competition. A theory Michael Porter came up with in 1985

In order to have a SCA your business has to accomplish several things.

1st) It has to be Valuable: there has to be a demand for it in the market.

2nd) It has to be Rare: scarce to relative demand.

3rd) It is Non-Substitutable: Costly to imitate, hard to find a substitute that will give you a similar benefit.

4th) It is Exploitable: Able to generate a profit off of.

Think about it, how hard is it to meet all four of those criteria now and days?

It is easy to get two.. maybe three of them but all four? That is hard to do and only several companies are able to do it. I think Disney is a great example of a S.C.A.

The value is undeniable with the amount of fans they have. It is scarce and non substitutable in the essence of the ability to be in the theme park, movie/television, resort and, cruise line industries all at one. Most importantly their ability to exploit all of their products into one bundle backed with the imaginative minds that only Disney has.

It is tough to achieve all four of those in the Internet world especially because of the ability to be substitutable, take Groupon for example. They were a huge hit at first, but we all saw how long that lasted.

It was so easy to imitate local newspapers started to do the same thing on their websites and LivingSocial also made it clear that it was easily duplicated.

If you can find business model that can build a sustainable competitive advantage in this day and age you are a brilliant person!

Trying to increase your Google rank that is like no other?
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