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A salute and farewell to RFID Update
Issue #207 | Sept. 24, 2009 | by Andy Kowl
If you have been paying attention to RFID for more than a little while, then I think it is appropriate we take a moment to say good-bye to RFID Update.
For those of us involved in this new wave of RFID, RFID Update has been a constant companion for years. I met founders Will Smith and Rocky Vega in 2004 as they were founding their newsletter. Until then, RFID Journal had been the only "RFID media," a group whose membership grew to surprising numbers.
What other niche technologies can you think of that ended up with at least a dozen publications, including electronic and paper?
Sensor technology is far more widespread in usage, and like RFID there are huge, ongoing developments in the field. Yet there are not half as many sensor publications and websites as there are about RFID (and that's not including the anti-RFID websites!). In fact, we in the RFID media cover sensors extensively. Wonder why it is not the other way around?
Will Smith, the newsletter's editor, did not really have a journalistic background, but was proficient from the start. Rocky Vega is a tough-minded salesman, quick with a warm smile. These two young entrepreneurs hit the ground running.
To their credit, RFID Update became the house organ of the industry. Don't get me wrong – this is no reflection on RFID Journal, which has clearly been the industry leader, and giving props here to Will and Rocky is not at their expense. But the daily Update was read more regularly, and widely, for quick news, er, updates. Having a daily outgoing newsletter was a big part of that, to be sure; but it was more than that.
I think the fact their format was easy to scan made it all the easier to look at. To be sure it is the rare recipient who actually reads more than half the issues of most e-newsletters nowadays. Let's face it, there are more than anyone can handle. I know that lots of people looked at Update, because it would regularly come up in conversations I had with people.
What really made it work was Will's editorial voice. His approach was always straightforward and honest. As a comparatively elder statesman journalist and editor, I noticed how quickly his writing matured and strengthened. He paid attention; and that always showed in the depth of reasoning behind his analytical perspective.
Occasionally I would send Will a note taking issue with some statement he made or conclusion he reached. I am pretty sure he took it well; at least he was kind enough to humor me. We came to approach this give-and-take as allowing us to hone our own views, talking them through chronicler-to- chronicler, so to speak.
The proof was in the pudding. During the peak of RFID fever, it is my understanding Update was sold out, in terms of each advertising slot of their newsletter being sold. That is a tribute to any publisher.
Was it the current uber-recession that killed Update? I sure don't speak for the Update boys, though I plan to see Will in the next couple of weeks if he's still talking to me after this – but it sure put the nails on the coffin, I'd say. This last year has not been kind to any publishers, RFID Switchboard included, along with every newspaper, most magazines, website and broadcast media.
But I think an honest evaluation must include other factors. One reality is the mindset of a generation weaned on click-through advertising. There are less and less advertising buyers below the agency level who understand, or believe in, branding – the act of establishing your brand's name and image as a known, trusted source of product. There is the belief that any result other than the act of people clicking onto an advertiser's website is a waste of money. This is nonsense, of course, and shows a lack of marketing education or sophistication. Nonetheless, this common belief, in the long run, hurts a publication like RFID Update.
The other, related, killer of Update is the pervasiveness of what we call in Yiddish schnorrers. What is a schnorrer? The answer is best described by example. Right up 'til the end, when Update was running virtually without paid advertising, I guarantee you they had a fire hydrant-like stream of companies who sent them press releases, looking for free publicity. Hell, I bet they are still receiving these today!
Companies that I know spend thousands a month on Google search advertising would send their press releases to Update, expecting a write-up. Often they got the mention they were after. The flip-side of those who only believe in click-through advertising is they often do believe that an article mentioning them is of value. Paid mentions, a waste. Free mentions, terrific. Schnorrers. My guess is if each company that sent five or more press releases to Update in the past year actually bought an ad, I would not be writing this column.
Life goes on, an endless stream of "RFID news" will still clutter your inbox; but the majority of what is available will be excruciatingly self-serving, often not even thinly disguised press releases. You'll get no punches pulled here on RFID Street, of course, though except for occasionally breaking a big story we never pretended to be a news source. RFID Journal will continue its excellent coverage of the industry. But I, for one, will miss the fine writing of Will and contributor John Burnell.
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