Microsoft Offers Users RSS News Feeds on Windows Marketplace


MEDIA, PA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/08/06 -- As a benefit to the millions
of Windows users accessing the Windows Marketplace the site recently
announced the availability of RSS (web news feeds) as an ideal way for
users to stay updated about new product releases, updates, and the
latest technology and product announcements from leading Windows
Community sites. With more users becoming aware of RSS through
blogging, RSS is rapidly becoming the method of choice for receiving
news.


Windows Marketplace RSS feeds can easily be added to a user's home
page portal on MyMSN, Live.com, MyYahoo, other favorite RSS
aggregators or news readers, and is also supported in many browsers.
You can download one of two free preferred news readers (Active Web
Reader or Pluck) which come pre-configured with all 19 Windows
Marketplace RSS feeds, allowing users to immediately stay informed
about new product offerings from hundreds of companies and over
103,000 products. Or, you can add them to your favorite news reader.


Over 97% of the products listed on the Windows Marketplace hail from
leading software and hardware vendors, other than Microsoft, whose
products make the Windows ecosystem such a rich environment for
Windows users.


Microsoft chose to work with an independent third party provider, the
Windows Users Group Network (WUGNET) to create a private RSS portal so
vendors could get their products listed and broadcasted through the
RSS news feeds.


"We chose WUGNET as our partner to provide the Windows Marketplace RSS
channels because of their 18 year commitment to the Windows community,
their product knowledge, and their relationship with the independent
software publishing and hardware vendor communities, as well as its
own history of creating and publishing community content for third
parties," said Jed Rose, Windows Client Product Manager. "We want to
offer an opportunity for third party software and hardware party
vendors to communicate directly with our customers and help them rate,
review and choose to buy Windows products that are best of breed. It's
a win-win situation for everyone."


There are new product RSS feeds covering 19 product categories,
including IE add-ons which number over 2000 products.


While RSS is already an established technology, the growing popularity
of blogs has catapulted RSS into the spotlight as a content
personalization tool, according to Nielsen NetRatings's RSS study.
Furthermore, RSS feeds deliver relevant posts quickly, in a
customizable, easy to manage format. These types of services provide
marketers an additional avenue from which to tap a captive audience
for time-critical offers. Since the customers themselves pick the
content they will receive, advertisers are able to deliver their
message within a context they know will engage their target audience.


"The Windows Marketplace helps us get out new product news to the
Windows community, courtesy of Microsoft, through the latest
technology of RSS," said Colleen Toumayan, Director of Public
Relations for Diskeeper Corporation.


"I appreciate the added exposure the network provides to software
developers. It's a great venue to communicate with an audience who has
a specific interest," said Sharon Housley, Marketing Manager for
Notepage, Inc.


Vendors of Windows products can sign up free and submit their product
news if they are currently listed on the Windows Marketplace. Vendors
who are not yet listed can find out how to get listed on the sign up
page.


"With the introduction of these new Windows Marketplace Feeds, average
users will find it easy to stay up-to-date with Windows. Better yet,
there's no middle man to go through; all the hardware and software
update information comes directly from Microsoft. That's a true
win-win situation," said Chris Pirillo, President of Lockergnome.com,
a digital technology magazine.


End-users who desire, can add the feeds to their existing news clients
or download free RSS news clients preloaded with the Windows
Marketplace News Feeds. Windows hardware and software vendors can also
sign up on this page.


About WUGNET


WUGNET Publications Inc., incorporated in 1990, began working with the
Windows Community of hardware and software vendors in the mid 1980s.
Since then, the company has continued to assist the software community
through its many marketing and distribution opportunities primarily
through a large network promoting Try-Before-You-Buy software. WUGNET
is a lifetime member of the Association of Shareware Professionals
(ASP) and was inducted into the Shareware Hall of Fame in 1998. WUGNET
has operated successful peer and managed forums for over 18 years and
provides free marketing and consulting services to its distribution
partners as well as fee-based consulting services on community
building and forum experience. WUGNET is trademark of WUGNET
Publications Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.