SimpleFeed Intros Secure RSS

RSS creation and metrics firm SimpleFeed is expected to introduce a technology today that enables delivery of secure RSS protected by a user name, password and unique URL.

The system could be a boon to publishers seeking registration data for ad targeting, or to offer paid subscription services. It could also help marketers communicate sensitive information — such as financial services or transaction data — to customers via RSS.

“That’s generated a lot of interest in the media vertical and financial services,” Mark Carlson, CEO of SimpleFeed, told ClickZ News. “Banks, for example, have problems with sending email and getting caught in various filters. RSS holds the benefit that it’s a direct push from their domain, so it’s hard to get between them and their customers.”

The secure technology works with RSS readers that support log-in, which Carlson says include the upcoming Internet Explorer 7 release, NewsGator, FeedDemon and SharpReader. It won’t work with My Yahoo

SimpleFeed says some of its clients are testing the capability, but the company isn’t making public its list of trial users.

A number of companies have been working on technologies to make RSS more attractive to marketers and advertisers. Besides SimpleFeed, FeedBurner, SyndicateIQ, Nooked and Silverpop have all introduced proprietary tools that do things such as create, personalize, measure and insert ads into RSS feeds.

Concurrent with its announcement of secure RSS, SimpleFeed is rolling out functionality that lets its users automatically import content from a Web page to an RSS post. The company is also introducing a self-service interface to allow smaller marketers access to a subset of its tools.