Outlook 12 and Attensa..."We're not dead yet"

Ever since Microsoft previewed Outlook 12 at Syndicate there has been a meme on the imminent death of Newsgator and Attensa. Before people start writing more obituaries we're declaring "We're not dead yet. In fact, we're feeling much better."

Here's why...

1) Ubiquitous RSS is good. At Attensa we believe that pervasive use of RSS benefits everybody and that makes our technology more valuable. Who better than Microsoft (and Google and Yahoo) to educate and make available basic RSS capabilities? Attensa is about value-add, not the inevitably commoditized RSS reader. We, and our investors (announcement coming soon), are betting that over the next several years Microsoft will do the heavy lifting and educate the masses of the benefits of adopting RSS.

2) But RSS is dumb. Already users are subscribing to dozens of feeds and receiving hundreds of posts per day. And it is only going to get worse as marketers utilize RSS in lieu of traditional internet media. Further, the enterprise and enterprise application vendors are embracing RSS for every conceivable task. As RSS users (whether through Outlook 12 or the common RSS reader) we will soon all be drinking from the proverbial fire hose. The problem will dwarf email inbox overload. At Attensa think there is a big opportunity for smart RSS that cuts through information overload.

3) With RSS “less is more” At Attensa our business and technology focus is improving the RSS experience through real-time attention stream analytics – the fact that we have or will soon have best of class solutions for Outlook, Mobile, Online and more is almost incidental. Long term (i.e. once Outlook 13 or 14 finally gets it right) our attention stream infrastructure will sit quietly, behind the scenes, making the defacto standard RSS reader simply “work better.”

4) Outlook 12 adoption happens when? In the meantime, and surveying the competitive climate for readers and pondering the en mass adoption of Outlook 12 in the enterprise (early 2008?) we think there is considerable opportunity to provide quality RSS experience for users of Outlook 2000 and later for the foreseeable future. As for Outlook 12, I think most would agree without even seeing it that there will be considerable opportunity to make it better.

 

Comments

[Scott]

Attensa is focusing on solving one of the most vexing problems of the Information Age: Information Overload.

The Internet, Broadband and Mobile communications mediums have brought incredible benefits to consumers, businesses and knowledge workers alike.

But like Pandora's Box, those gains come with an unexpected consequence: Information Overload.

It is so pervasive, so fundamental that it will eventually pose a clear and present danger to the Web 2.0 movement that we early adopters have come to love so much.

Attensa is working for all our common good.

So if you're Attensa's competition; or if you have a network of subscribers; if you're an analysts or the press... stop before you hastely write Attensa's obituary...

...they just might have the solution that makes your content, your network, or your marketing efforts more relevant -- and your businesses more profitable.

[Scott Niesen]

Thanks Scott for the vote of confidence.

The other Scott

[Bill French]

Scott:

I appreciate the situation you're in - RSS readers are in a race to the bottom of the commoditization barrel; Microsoft looms over the land with a plethora of [RSS] ideas and strategies that may or may not work, and Outlook continues to get a roto-tilling once every two years that keeps us all off-balance.

However, Attensa has a chance to carve out a "blue ocean" strategy (ref - the book Blue Ocean Strategies).

I really haven't followed the Attensa story as closely as I should, but I suspect the attention stream idea is both good and likely to be the catalyst that will make your competition irrelevant.

Having said that, you might not want to create blog posts whose titles suggest you are likely to be declared "dead", soon or ever. The mere suggestion validates that Attensa is (a) part of a dying [soon to be commoditized] market segment of RSS readers, and(b) a company that has no differentiating qualities from news readers in general and/or Newsgator in specific. I don't think either case is true, so why intimate that?

Another very minor criticism - statements like this...

"Attensa is working for all our common good."

... seem insincere (because they should be). I appreciate companies that are working hard for the free-market pressures that cause all of us to work hard. I want to buy products from a company that is interested in earning profits, because success typically correlates closely with customer satisfaction and business value.

Lastly, I like the mention of "Information Overload" - I think this is a serious issue that few enterprises ponder at a strategic level. In my view the opportunities to leverage RSS and secure blogsites in business settings are significant and will eventually improve operational efficiencies across all businesses. To that comment, the challenge is to focus on meeting business requirements.

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