In today's Internet, you won't survive long in your business if you aren't prepared to embrace changes that will be good for your business. Even more important - at least it should be - is will this change be good for your subscribers?

Most of you will have heard that weblogs and rss feeds are being utilized by many publishers to replace and/or enhance email delivery of their ezines.

The comments about these services range from 'good' to 'okay', implying they are not the answer and in many cases, I would agree. Quite a few publishers will tell you they've switched to an RSS feed - tell you to go here - download an aggregator - figure it out and then you'll receive our content. So much for supporting your subscribers.

You cannot and should not assume that:

a. everyone 'is' technically saavy
b. everyone 'wants to be' technically saavy

The last time I looked, the major reason you started publishing was to build a group of loyal subscribers so that you could share your content as well as your marketing. Don't forget that your subscribers have had to jump through most of the same 'hoops' that you did as a publisher - just to stay with you.

Using or sticking with email as your only method of delivery for your content will ultimately cost you your business. Why - simply because it is more difficult to receive what you have asked for and your subscriber may not even be receiving your message. Your average ISP bounces approximately 15% of your mail before you even see it. My research tells me there are a few ISPs bouncing as much as 25%.

The reality is that the publisher will not necessarily know just how many issues get caught in this cycle because they won't all be bounced back to the publisher. They end up in a void somewhere in cyberspace.

With the change in spam laws in California, Kansas and Arkansas publishers are currently asking their subscribers to reconfirm their subscriptions. What a colossal waste of time. The U.K. and Australia also have implemented stricter laws regarding unsolicited commercial email. While these laws were implemented to fight unsolicited commercial email, they will affect you and the way you conduct your business.

The restrictions you hear about concerning weblogs or rss feeds such as a lack of interactivity, the inability to use graphics, etc. are true in many cases. However, Quikonnex does not have any of these restrictions. You can present your content in several formats. You choose basic text, HTML as well as audio and video. The service offers private messaging rather than relying on email. In fact, the publisher doesn't need email addresses and the subscriber does not have to give one. Subscribers are back in control of their own subscriptions.

One of the best reasons for making the switch to a service such as Quikonnex has to be the support. Subscribing to the service is as easy as following the 1 - 2 - 3 steps and being guided through each one. It doesn't cost your subscriber anything. Once they see how much better using an rss feed to receive your content is, with none of the nonsense of email delivery, making the switch will be a no- brainer. No one has to be left to figure things out for themselves.

Because of the support offered by Quikonnex, you will also be building relationships with other publishers and members in the community. Within this community you'll be able to share ideas, help or get help, as well as expand your horizons and gain new perspectives. Too many publishers have become stuck in a rut - afraid to find a new alternative.

Don't be afraid to investigate new ways of presenting your content. It's time to take a stand. I detest the garbage coming through email, not to mention the time consumed in creating filters and/or deleting it all.

Personally, I'm one of the least 'techie' people around and I love Quikonnex because the creators have made it so easy to use and implement. Here are a couple of links you may find helpful.

Q Channels or eMail? You Decide!

Stop Giving Out Your eMail

eMail Publishing is Dead! What's The Alternative?

In closing, I offer this quote: "We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." - Max De Pree

Lois publishes KIT (Keeping In Touch) a weekly ezine with straight forward articles, helpful hints and suggestions, interaction with subscribers and more. Easy to subscribe: KIT Helping you build a successful home-based business one step at a time Home4Success

This article may be used in your ezine or published on your website as long as the resource box is included and the links are live. A notice of it's use may be sent to me at: Lois. Thank you.

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